An Eccentric Seal Master
by FreedomOfThinking
Summary: No one is weird. Just eccentric. No one's strange. Just unique. Naruto's a genius though, and you can't spell genius without unique. He's also eccentric. What does everyone else think? Well... they think he's weird and strange. Go figure.
1. Accidents happen

"Three" Kakashi counted, staring lazily at the warehouse with a small ANBU contingent with him.

"Two" he continued, lazily walking towards the warehouse door.

"One" the wall of the building exploded. The ANBU all reacted minutely, while Kakashi simply took a big step forward, catching the burning blond before he hit the ground.

A quick Suiton jutsu and Naruto was put out. The soot from his face was instantly cleaned off by the sudden cascade of liquid.

A second individual who had been thrown higher into the air came back to earth.

No one bothered to catch him.

Jiraiya landed next to Naruto in a loud thump and a groan, his body impacting the dirt brutally.

Kakashi snapped his fingers in front of the shell shocked blond, and the boys blue eyes darted to him.

"Type two?" Kakashi asked, pointing at the building.

Naruto glanced at the building, mumbling something before looking down in shame.

"Didn't quite catch that" Kakashi muttered, lowering himself a little bit to be closer to Naruto.

"Type three" Naruto hissed, crossing his arms, pouting and glancing away in a huff.

"Already?" one of the guard ANBU exclaimed, surprised.

"He hasn't slept yet" the middle ANBU lamented, gesturing at Naruto, "just look at his eyes"

"So of course he's already at type three" the last one commented, moving to Jiraiya and trying to help the elder Sannin get up.

Jiraiya bolted up right before the ANBU could reach him.

The sannin blinked, before turning on Naruto with a murderous expression, "you're dead brat!" he leaped.

Kakashi lazily back handed his superior out of the air.

No one harmed his little brother cept him. And only when the blond idiot deserved it.

"Ow" Jiraiya moaned, gripping his nose from his position on the ground.

Here was one of the most powerful individuals in the world… and he acted like a complete child.

Naruto stood up, "we need to start repairs soon! I was so close to finishing the inner matrix of the second seal" he began to make his way towards the crumbling and burning facility but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hokage-sama wants to see you"

Naruto blinked owlishly, "About?"

"He's worried about you" Kakashi frowned, 'I am as well'

"How long will it take? Me and the pervert were busy" Naruto gestured back to the now smouldering building.

"The ANBU will clean that up, and by the time you've finished with the Hokage, your lab will be ready again.

* * *

At the moment of the sealing, when the Kyuubi had been placed into the new born baby, Minato could have imparted any kind of knowledge, some form of understanding for his new born to take with him. Instead, his knowledge of seals, and sealing had been imparted into Naruto.

An influx of information that was meant to be understood but the concepts couldn't be grasped. A lifetime of learning that had yet to be learned.

The boy's brain didn't know how to react.

So the Kyuubi stepped in, surprisingly, and saved its Jailor from becoming brain dead.

If asked, the fox did it only because it didn't want to have to deal with a vegetable for a host.

The Hokage didn't get a chance to ask the fox what it thought however, and was now having to deal with the fallout of the incredibly intelligent eight year old.

* * *

"Hi jiji!" Naruto waved exuberantly as he entered the office, Kakashi staying outside the room as his younger brother stepped past the threshold.

"Naruto" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded as the blond came in and sat down in front of the desk.

Hiruzen had the ANBU on guard clean the desk perfectly, removing anything that had been on it and hiding it away.

Before Hiruzen could speak, before he could secretly elude as to what he wanted to talk about, Naruto beat him to it.

"Yeah I'm working on it" the blond grinned.

Hiruzen just sighed and slumped back in his chair.

What he didn't know, was that in the five seconds that it had taken Naruto to enter the office and sit down, he had already pieced together what the Sandaime wanted him for.

"Break down the thought process" Hiruzen gestured exasperatedly.

Naruto's grin vanished, his face taking upon what the Konoha hospital psychologist had named as naruto's, 'Professional' mode.

"The desk was too clean. Usually you have a few items on it, as to suggest what you have recently been handling. Since there was nothing of importance on the desk, you must have packed it away or removed it quickly before my arrival. This means the topic of our conversation revolves around me. But as to what this topic is, I had to find other information. Therefore I turned to the shelves" Naruto looked to the left and pointed at the mission shelf. "All the mission files have been untouched because they are still as messy and in the same place when I last saw them... meaning you haven't had the need to look back recently. The topic of this meeting will not be found in the past, therefore I am here because of current affairs"

Hiruzen paled. The blonde's mind was amazing. He still wasn't used to his ability to pick apart situations.

"So I next looked at the personnel files, and as expected, each of the files is neatly arranged, meaning you, or more likely your meticulous ANBU cleaned them up and ordered them out. Now I can only assume this, but since you've called me here and the last person to leave this office was Snake, I was the topic of discussion between yourself and Snake-san"

Naruto sat up straight, hands on his knees as he looked right at the Hokage. "Which based on your reaction I can deduce that you have indeed been keeping watch on me, even when my work requires the most private level of security, especially since the task I am tackling could fall into enemy hands"

"The explosion today... Kakashi predicted you'd have moved onto the third stage by now. I have to admit I'm surprised"

Naruto smiled, "it's been difficult. Without Jiraiya, I wouldn't have been able to hold down the matrix for the second level. But now the third level of the seal comes into play, and it is in fact designed to hold down the second level of the seal"

Hiruzen nodded. The amount of Chakra to be added to the seal must have been large, based of the controlled explosion that happened at Naruto's facility.

"I know how it works now" Naruto smiled.

"Really? It's only been a month, and you think you've figured out the technique already?"

"You've been quite generous with my expenditures Jiji. All the money you've funded towards my projects has payed off"

Naruto's attire was the same every day. Black jacket with the left sleeve missing up till his shoulder, revealing his heavily tattooed arm. He work a pair of flip flops in the lab, only using Shinobi standard sandles when out on missions.

Touching one of the seals on his left arm, a seal hidden under the tattoo's, Naruto channeled chakra in order to summon a scroll.

"The first matrix ring of the seal sets your destination, and this only requires a minimal amount of chakra to set this, 'anchor'" Naruto pointed to the second ring of the heavily annotated diagram.

"The second ring is what the Yondaime referred to as 'The Bridge', this is where the second most amount of chakra is used, and it is what allows for the instantaneous movement. The seal essentially rips a hole in the space time continuum. The third seal keeps this transition safe, and more importantly, the user alive"

Hiruzen just sat back and kept soaking in the information.

"The fourth seal uses the most amount of chakra, as this matrix breaks a whole back into 'real time', allowing the user to then use the fifth matrix to transition towards the receiving Kunai"

Naruto re sealed the scroll into his arm and sat back down in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk.

"How long till you can use the technique?"

Naruto was silent for a few moments.

"A few weeks"

Hiruzen breathed a sigh of awe.

The return of the Hiraishin, the flying thunder god technique, was just around the corner.

Naruto would become a ninja to be feared.

"Jiji" Naruto was frowning now, "I have a more important request"

Hiruzen cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes Naruto?"

"Can I have some very loud speakers… and a music system"

Hiruzen's face went blank.

* * *

4 Years Later

* * *

"Get out of here pervert!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the door, "My mind needs space!"

The sannin didn't say anything. When Naruto got like this, not even a ramen bribe could cheer him up.

The Sanin disappeared before anymore chaos could ensue.

"KAGE BUNSHIN!" about 12 Naruto's appeared.

The lab was naruto's prized space. Three floors in total. Each floor had a landing which could observe the floor beneath it. Book shelves and cabinets were strewn everywhere, things hastily having been pinned to different walls. Different threads and pins were latched everywhere, attaching different papers to others. Heavy use of staples, duct tape, biscuits, coffee and an application of sealing kept the whole ship running.

Naruto did refer to his work space as the S.S Discovery.

Then the music started.

Naruto had rigged his warehouse / laboratory with the speakers Hiruzen had given him a while ago, the blond forgets when the old man gave him the stuff. Work never stopped on his ship, never.

The one time a clone had tried to rebel Naruto had made it walk the plank, which was literally a piece of wood jutting out from the third floor landing. It had been used originally for testing out new wind Jutsu, but it did a good job for a stand in execution plank.

"GET MOVING!" Naruto boomed, his finger on the remote thumbing up the volume so the song would be louder.

* * *

(Song: Traditional arrangement: Moonshine - Alexandre Desplat)

* * *

"Aye aye captain!" a clone sarcastically remarked. A second later it dispelled from a Kunai to the throat.

Sarcasm was only tolerated from the original. Captains orders.

The real Naruto heaved, the memory of a Kunai piercing his throat giving him the shivers. Swaying slightly, the captain of his ship jumped down to the second floor, moving into the archives, deciding on what him and his 'crew' would be working on today.

Looks like trying to crack the elemental configuration of Mokuton Jutsu would be today's impossible task.

Summoning another clone, Naruto ordered it to fetch him some coffee.

Clone's were running everywhere, moving objects, picking up strange devices, carrying tons of scrolls and even the occasional piece of furniture.

Just an average amount of chaos on his ship.

Back to the task at hand… replicating Mokuton Jutsu...

To be perfectly honest, Naruto wasn't a firm believer of Jutsu relating to a bloodline. Apart from anything ocular, he believed all techniques were fair game.

So the sacred techniques of the Shodaime would become his primary concern… for today atleast.

"Alright! Two teams get funky on the first floor, I want a perfect balance of Yin and Yang chakra. Use Kurama-baka if ya need to!"

The fox growled at him on the inside but otherwise didn't react to his… special… host.

Kurama had shared his name with the child after he began to display skills and a mind unlike anything he had ever witnessed. This socially inept blonde idiot was a genius, someone who would change the future of the-

An explosion on the bottom floor cut of the fox's thoughts.

"I SAID BALANCE!" Naruto roared from the second floor, leaping up to the third floor to disappear into his study.

He had other things to continue working on.

The study was comprised of a welding and full metallurgy workshop, a desk to do work on, and a large mind map which was a mental representation of where Naruto kept things stored in his memory.

Someone of another time and age would call this a mind palace, but with a mind as extravagant as Naruto's, he needed a larger place to withhold all of his memories and general knowledge. This gigantic visual representation with convenient seals attached to each portion of it made it a perfect choice.

It looked like some weird art work, but it was in fact a very important aspect of Naruto's ship.

A note on his desk made him hesitate from the metal works area. It was sealed, and new.

It hadn't been there the last time he was in his office. Naruto no longer knew days or night, just when he was working down stairs or found himself passed out in his office.

Naruto hurried over to it, dropping a seal on it before opening it. Any chakra bombs or traps set inside it would never go off due to the seal he had placed upon it.

It was a letter inside.

Naruto read it and his eyebrows shot up.

Oh crap.

"ALL HANDS!" Naruto turned and shouted out to his crew on the lower floor, "Abandon ship!"

The clones went frantic, each canceling their channels of chakra, and hastily moving up and down from floor to floor, cleaning up the un-cleanable space.

"What's the problem captain!?" One of the clones blanched, looking into the office on the third floor to see Naruto's white face as he approached the clone by the railing of the third floor.

"We've got multiple borders incoming! All hands brace for combat!" each clone dispelled instantly, which in hindsight was not a good idea. Naruto convulsed and tripped, falling off the third floor, painfully landing on his side on the railing of the second floor, then finally slumping onto the first floor in a heap.

Kurama didn't know wether to laugh or cry at his hosts predicament.

Just then, the large warehouse doors opened up, Naruto hissing on instinct as morning light came into contact with his face.

His head retreated inside his jacket.

"Ototo… you really need to get out more"

Kakashi had come to visit with his genin team.

* * *

End song

* * *

A little earlier

* * *

Kakashi Hatake leapt down to his students, a light smile on his face, something his students wouldn't be able to notice.

His students had seen him slip a strange note through the window of the odd building.

"In 25 seconds Kiba, I want you to open those doors. Setsuna help him. Sasuke, get ready to cast a fire Jutsu" Kakashi ordered, readying a water or lighting Jutsu himself.

This was of course, in case his brother needed to be put out from whatever hectic experiment he was doing.

Sounds of commotion and voices shouting inside the strange warehouse echoed out through the walls.

There was also some kind of strange song playing.

15 seconds in, a shout of "Abandon ship!" could be clearly heard.

20 seconds in, the sound of something heavy landing on metal echoed out twice.

A groan was heard from behind the sliding metal door.

"Open it now" Kakashi smiled, stepping forward as the door opened.

A blond head and white face slithered back into its hood with a hiss.

"Ototo" Kakashi chided, "you really need to get out more"

"Who is this, Sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Team 7, meet Naruto Uzumaki Hatake, my little brother" Naruto stood up, his full face mask having been summoned onto his visage to hide his identity.

"You have a little brother?" Kiba was surprised. Kakashi didn't say anything about that at the team meet… well to be honest, he didn't say much about anything.

"And" Kakashi continued, "he's probably the deadliest ninja in Konoha"

The three genin of team seven blanched.

"What are you doing here baka?" Naruto responded simply, standing up in his full public attire, which had been summoned onto his body the moment the door had fully open.

Black gloves, black over coat, black jacket, black pants, black boots, black mask, black hood. Everything on him was black.

The strange mask was almost tribal, with different swirls and symbols all over it. It also had two moving eyebrows, which were currently fixed into a frown.

"This?" Kiba asked, and flinched as the mask turned to him, "this is the deadliest ninja in Konoha?"

"Doesn't seem like much" Sasuke murmured.

"This is your genin team?" Naruto ignored the Inuzuka heir and the Uchiha prodigy, "doesn't seem like much".

The two younger males gave out indignant cries but the hidden Hatake ignored them.

Kakashi's response took too long, so Naruto darted up to the female Uchiha sibling.

'Fast' Setsuna noted. It was almost like he had disappeared then reappeared before them.

"Uchiha? Why would-?" he disappeared again, only to reappear in front of Kakashi and poke the elder Ninja in the chest.

"Did you pick them?"

"Council did"

"Then you know not to listen to the war hawk" even though it was a statement, Kakashi nodded anyway.

"So why are you four here?" the mask that the younger Hatake was wearing now had a single raised eyebrow.

"They beat me in the bell test" Kakashi shrugged, "but I want them to do it right. So I thought who better to help me, then you"

Naruto knew Kakashi was smiling.

And in the next few seconds, Kakashi knew his brother was smiling as well.

Both Hatake's turned slowly to look at the academy students, a glint in the one visible eye of the siblings. A dark aura was being exuded from both of them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this" Kiba mumbled.

How right he was.

* * *

Sasuke leapt onto another branch, the hiss of the explosive tags catching him off guard.

The previous tree ignited in a pillar of flame and heat.

"Shit!" the Uchiha swore, leaping off the tree and into the bushes, taking to cover closer to the ground. His opponent appeared to be a master of the air, and the tree tops gave no cover from the aerial attacks.

"FUCKING RUN!" a terrified Kiba shot past Sasuke's position, a horde of identical mask wearing monsters running after him.

'I need to find Setsuna' Sasuke thought, realising he didn't stand a chance without his sister.

Meanwhile, the original Naruto sat with Kakashi next to the timer, his army of clones causing havoc for the three other individuals.

"So how exactly did you lose?"

Kakashi sighed, "the Uchiha siblings caught me off guard. I didn't expect them to work so well together"

Naruto scoffed, "and you're a Jonin"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "and you're the specialist" he smirked.

A few explosions lit up a part of the forest.

"Damn" Naruto muttered quietly, seeing what Kakashi meant about being caught off guard.

"For Genin they are impressive" Naruto stood as the timer went off, but they are just Genin.

The three Ninja instantly appeared in front of Naruto, with one clone per Genin restraining them.

"Two of you demonstrate the purpose of this test very well, but throw in a wild card, and this 'team' would fall apart" Naruto approached the two Uchiha, "what is it that makes you incapable of working with your team mate? You seem to extent a hand of comradery to members of your clan…" Naruto vanished and reappeared with Sasuke in his arms, a tri pronged Kunai pointed at his neck.

"Uchiha" he was speaking to the girl, "kill the Inuzuka or your brother dies"

Setsuna locked up, completely freezing under the killing intent being projected her way.

"You might as well kill him, if you refuse to work with him in the field then he's a dead man already" Naruto continued, the Kunai coming closer to Sasuke's neck.

"B-but…" she stuttered.

"DO IT!" Naruto roared, and Setsuna instinctively drew a Kunai. Kiba's eyes went wide with shock. She really would do it.

Naruto seemed to just come into existence before her, catching her hand that had the grip of her Kunai.

"And this is why you can't be a Shinobi. The three of you. Uchiha's only fought with their own during the warring periods, but those times are long over. You must learn to fight alongside those of the village" Naruto rounded on the Inuzuka, "and you, dog boy. I respect your individual will to continue on, but in the world we live in, you must seek help or you will die. Many have become great shinobi but not all of them did it of their own accord. There were those that helped them. Do not expect the hand to be offered to you, sometimes you must ask for it"

Kiba was sweating bullets but still managed to nod anyway.

"You have all taken up too much of my time" the blond announced dramatically, "take over Baka-Kakashi" the mask clad boy disappeared.

* * *

"Danzo-san?" Naruto asked in mild surprise as he reappeared in his office, "you're early"

The old man appeared out from the shadows, "I was a little eager to see the results of your experiments"

"The seals are not ready yet, but if-"

"I was referring to the experiments you keep in the basement"

The temperature dropped significantly and the mask that the boy was still wearing slowly turned towards the war hawk.

"Careful now Elder-san. It would do you some good to not go snooping into other people's business"

Danzo was unaffected by the killing intent, "if it concerns the safety of the village, then it becomes my business as well"

"Nothing I do would harm the village!" Naruto spat, his chakra flaring, "what I do is for the good of the village!" footsteps echoed up the staircase from the second landing to the third floor of Naruto's complex.

"That was the excuse Orochimaru used..." the third Hokage appeared in the door of the office, "...a few days before he mutilated his first human experiment"

Four Anbu flickered into the room.

"Show us the basement Uzumaki-san" Danzo ordered, the Anbu each gripping a weapon.

The masked boy turned to face Hiruzen, but the old Kage had his eyes closed.

There would be no support from the third.

Naruto snarled but then bit out a sharp, "follow me!" and brushed past Hiruzen. The blond leapt from the third balcony, all the way down to the ground floor. The ANBU, Danzo and Hiruzen all appeared around him.

"Whatever you do... don't touch anything" Naruto made a hand sign and three clones appeared.

Each clone moved to the corners of the bottom floor, the training ground and technique practice area. It was a good 20 by 20 meter space with a dirt floor and metal walls. The clones each stood by a support pillar, with the original moving to the fourth pillar.

Naruto reached into his robe, pulling out a key with a strange four prong design. The handle of the key had four dials on it, of which Naruto turned each of them a different amount of times.

The clones as well dialed in the correct combination for the key before putting their Chakra into it, forcing the key to change to the shape that the dials set it to.

"A very intricate system Naruto" Hiruzen was taking the entire process in, reveling in the understanding of the extent as to which Naruto had kept the underground lab hidden, "how much protection have you put in your lab"

Under the mask, Naruto smiled.

"The first layer of security is the keys" Naruto began talking, "the key never leaves my person at all times"

"If the key was taken from you?" Hiruzen questioned, watching as the keys were inserted into different hidden slots of each pillar.

"Then the second layer of security comes into play. Each pillar has a specific random combination that changes based on the year, month and day. These combinations are seemingly random but can be calculated by a formula only I know"

"If you were caught by enemy shinobi? Their are those out there with the ability to make you talk" Danzo was all too familiar with the information extraction teams from Kumo and Iwa.

"There are two formula's for the key, one which provides the correct combination, the other sets the key to activate a detonation of this entire facility. Under duress, the shinobi won't be aware of which code I give them"

"What's your input on this Hawk?" the Sandaime turned to look at his Anbu guard captain.

"..." the Anbu thought for a moment, "the obvious conclusion would be to spy on Uzumaki-san up close, watch him for the code of the day, then open the lower floor after he is eliminated"

Hiruzen turned to Naruto, who was steadily turning his key in the revealed key hole, "you'd be correct Anbu-san... but that's when the third level of my security comes into play"

"Third level? You truly are meticulous Naruto… just like your father" Hiruzen praised. Naruto's paranoia had lead to one of the greatest protected facilities in all of Konoha.

The Uzumaki just nodded.

"The keys are only registered to my Chakra and my Chakra only, anyone else who tries to mold them with their own Chakra… they will automatically set the keys to active the explosive seals hidden in this facility"

The keys locked into place and Naruto's clones dispelled. A large seal appeared on the floor, an intricate seal.

"This is a 20 layered seal. The only one in existence. Please move to the middle ring"

Naruto strode to the center of the seal, where three intricate circles were coiled around one another.

"Stand within the circle" Naruto ordered, and the Hokage, Danzo and the four Anbu moved into the small space.

"Kai" Naruto dispelled the final seal.

There was a small rumble, like a tremor in the earth. Then the entire ground gave way to a bottomless pit. But instead of falling, the individuals now hanging in the air were slowly lowered down.

"Welcome to my lab" Naruto announced solemnly, seconds before they were all swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

"How did he get so strong?" Kakashi looked up from his book. He turned his head to the left to look at the Uchiha boy sitting beside him.

Kiba and Setsuna were sparing in front of them. Sasuke was taking a break after his duel with his sister.

Kakashi turned to look at the fight, watching Kiba's movements.

"Kiba has been trained as a shinobi by his clan-"

Sasuke growled, "you know who I'm talking about"

Kakashi sighed, physically drooping in a little depression as this conversation finally caught up to him.

'Perhaps it was dumb to force Naruto to test them?' Kakashi thought. The Uchiha male had been thinking about Kakashi's younger brother for a long time now.

What Kakashi had said about his younger brother being 'probably the deadliest ninja in Konoha' hadn't been forgotten by the Uchiha.

"He's an oddball. He has been since he was born" Kakashi began slowly, "he sticks to himself most of the time, but he's strong because he learns. When he turned seven it was like a switch was flicked and my little brother turned into a sponge. He absorbed every bit of knowledge that was thrown at him"

Kakashi watched on as the Inuzuka knocked the Uchiha girl into the air before barely side stepping a fireball.

"So it's all the knowledge? That's what makes him strong?" Sasuke was watching Kakashi now, looking for any tells or twitches to show he was lying. The boy even had his sharingan active.

"No" Kakashi frowned, watching as Setsuna tackled Kiba after switching positions with a nearby log, "it's how he uses his knowledge. His application of all the information is what made him so deadly"

Sasuke went silent, brooding as he turned to watch his sister knock the dog boy out.

"Call it Sensei" Setsuna said calmly, Kunai pointed at the dazed Kiba.

"Setsuna wins" Kakashi stated obviously, standing up from the ground with a lazy gait.

"You seem to be neglecting your Taijutsu… little sister" a voice stated calmly from behind Kakashi and Sasuke.

Sasuke whirled around with his Kunai out, only to be poked in the forehead with two fingers by his elder brother. Itachi Uchiha.

"Itachi-san" Kakashi greeted, raising an eyebrow as to why his ex-subordinate was here.

"Kakashi-sempai" Itachi greeted with a blank face, inwardly smirking at the rain cloud that appeared above his old captain's head.

"First Yamato! Now you too?" Kakashi hung his head in defeat.

"Are you here for clan matters?" Setsuna moved straight to the point, making a note for later to practice on her Taijutsu. Kiba had caught her off guard with his fang over fang technique.

"No. In fact I'm here to locate the best seals master in Konoha. Someone only Kakashi-sempai can lead me to" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

'Hokage-sama approved of the Uchiha's lessons under Naruto? Perhaps this is another concession he had to make to attain peace' thought Kakashi.

"I know of who you seek" Kakashi spoke sagely, "but there's a price to pay"

"Hm?" Itachi was intrigued. A ninja that asked for fee's for teaching or perhaps a blood payment… were dangerous individuals.

"Oh no Itachi-san, nothing like that" Kakashi waved away the doubt as he eye smiled, seeing the calculative gaze slipping across the elder Uchiha's face.

"Then what?" Itachi asked pensively.

"How much coffee can you afford?"

* * *

Itachi walked up to the building calmly. Passers by watched in confusion as the Uchiha heir dropped a large cardboard box on the ground, before taking two steps back.

The doors to the strange building practically blasted open.

"Oi" a masked figure appeared out from the building, pointing an accusing finger at Itachi, "you the Uchiha?"

"I believe so ninja-san" Itachi already felt uncomfortable, "I brought your… fee" he pointed calmly to the box which contained a few hundred points of coffee beans that Kakashi had helped him select.

"Did Kakashi-san assist you in the selection of coffee?" the masked Ninja was still for a second. There was about 15 meters between him and Itachi.

And in an instant, there was only two feet.

Itachi jerked back slightly in surprise.

"Did he?" the masked man repeated quietly, now being much too close for Itachi's comfort.

"Hai" Itachi responded, forcing the waver out of his voice.

"I've tagged you with about three seals in the past 30 seconds" the masked boy suddenly said.

"I've attached them to you using only seals. Try accessing your chakra"

Itachi blinked. He called upon the chakra to his eyes. A physical punch was delivered to his stomach but the masked Shinobi hadn't moved. He hadn't attacked him at all.

"The first seal I attached to you blocks your use of Chakra. The second punishes you for trying to use it. It tricks your body into thinking it has been harmed"

"And the third?" Itachi wheezed.

"Allows me to teleport to you"

Itachi's eyes widened. He couldn't mean…. Did he use that jutsu…. He couldn't have... Could he?

"You will be learning a multitude of seals, and I will teach you in all the theory that you will need to become a comprehensive seals master"

"Hai" Itachi nodded again, thoroughly impressed in this 'demonstration' but he still had one question, "how did you administer the first seal?"

"I threw it at you"

Itachi's mind began to work. The lightbulb appeared above his head.

"When you pointed…" the masked boy nodded.

"You're very perceptive. That's good. A lack of foresight in this art can lead to your death or the deaths of others"

The masked boy turned on his heel, walking towards the laboratory, "come now! We haven't a moment to waste!"

Itachi followed behind, "Hai sensei" even with all his oddities, the boy was unique.

The eldest Uchiha felt like he was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Itachi wasn't enjoying this.

According to his teacher, he was doing everything wrong, or his hand posture was incorrect. Itachi was a perfectionist at heart, but it seemed that fuinjutsu was a whole new level of specific and meticulous.

"Lookup Uchiha" his teacher snapped, and Itachi's eyes darted up to his irate teacher, "you learn fuinjutsu through the hand, not through the eyes"

'As soon as you can do all fifty basic seals with your eyes up on me, then we can begin' Itachi remembered his teacher telling him this two weeks ago. He had managed to finish ten of the fifty in that time, the patterns becoming more and more intricate as the seal number went up.

"No!" the blond scrapped the paper for the 20th time that day, swiping out from right under Itachi, "that would have caused your sealing tag to explode and kill anyone who used the seal within a fifteen meter radius"

Itachi's hands twitched in rage.

"But you're making good progress" his teacher suddenly admitted softly, "it took me six months to learn the first fifty. It's been only a few weeks and you're already at number ten… excellent progress"

Naruto stood up from his crouch, finally getting out of Itachi's face, turning a complete 180 and walking to the flight of stairs.

"I'm calling it a day. Your hand is beginning to twitch from being in the correct brushstroke position. You will not be able to make any progress in that state… you'll just waste paper at this point"

The masked boy began to ascend the steps to the second floor, "it's almost sundown, if you're fast enough you'll be able to have dinner with your family"

Itachi stood up, nodded politely at his sensei, then dashed towards the main door.

Acting on instinct, the eldest Uchiha caught the four large books that had been thrown at him.

"Be back here two days from now. I want you to work on your theory tommorow" his sensei disappeared up into the second floor, "have a good night Itachi-san"

"And you sensei" Itachi responded, and to Naruto's pride, the Uchiha heir flipped open one of the books and began to read on his way home.

* * *

Sasuke was waiting by the entrance to the Uchiha compound for his older brother. After the first hour of waiting, Sasuke had decided to take a comfortable rest on the archway that held the gate.

It was getting incredibly late by the time he saw Itachi returning from his tutoring. And while he expected the training to take all day, he hadn't been able to ask Kakashi who Itachi was training under.

So what the second oldest Uchiha sibling didn't expect was his brother to arrive at the front of the Uchiha gate with three large books tucked under one arm, while he held open a fourth book and was avidly reading it.

"Ni-san?" Sasuke asked, looking down from his perch on the wall.

Itachi kept walking, his eyes darting over the page of the book, before he slowly turned it.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he noticed that his older brother had his Sharingan activated.

"Itachi?" Sasuke whispered, leaping down and walking alongside his brother whom still hadn't noticed him.

Taking the initiative Sasuke peaked over Itachi's shoulder, trying to get a look at the-

The pages snapped shut, and red tomoe darted towards the younger.

"Sasuke" Itachi finally noticed his brother, "I'm sorry. My mind was sidetracked"

'No shit' Sasuke thought, but said "oh"

"Has mother prepared dinner?" he asked, eyes shifting back to the regular black as he gazed out upon the various Uchiha houses.

"Yeah, I think so"

"Did you offer her any help?"

"What? No, I was waiting for-" a swift yet sure hit struck Sasuke in the back of the head.

"Baka!" Itachi growled as Sasuke whined in pain.

"What!?" Sasuke cried in indignation holding the back of his head with both hands, a scowl set on his features, "anyway, setsuna took my place for the cooking"

Itachi stiffened.

"That means neither of us has done any daily chores Sasuke" as Itachi spoke the shadows seemed to leak out from around the buildings, the sun seemed to sink faster beyond the horizon, "and Mother will make sure one of us does the dishes after dinner"

Both brothers stared at each other.

"Only one of us shall be free to sleep early" Itachi spoke.

"Yeah… seems that way" Sasuke adopted a serious look.

Sasuke blinked.

It was just enough time.

Suddenly Itachi smiled, "well, it seems like it won't be me! Boss has already made an escape"

Sasuke blinked again.

The clone dispelled as Sasuke's Kunai pierced it.

"ITACHI!" Sasuke roared, powering after his fleeing older brother in a race to the front door of their house.

"There can be only one!" Itachi shouted back at him, already a few meters ahead of Sasuke.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Sasuke's voice echoed out from behind him.

"That's cheating!" Itachi yelled at his now hawk riding brother.

And they raced off into the night.

* * *

So this is just a little idea of mine. A more mixed up world :P


	2. Sparing and Siblings

So it seems I've done something right for once. Some of you actually seemed to enjoy my attempt at humour, so I'm going to keep going with this story. Thanks to all those who followed and reviewed. Thanks to all those who enjoy what I've done with the story. And thanks to all those who have reviewed (your the ones who keep me going).

Have a great day!

-Freedom

(o3o)

* * *

Once again something exploded.

And once again it sent two people flying.

However!

This duo would differ from a young Uzumaki and his trifling compatriot, the super perverted toad sage Jiraiya.

The slightly older yet still young Uzumaki now took part in such violent experiments and practices with his freshly minted, 'best student ever', Itachi Uchiha.

These two, would be the individuals currently coasting through the sky at an alarming speed.

"TRY AND LAND ON YOUR SIDE UCHIHA! ANYTHING ELSE IS PAINFUL!" Naruto commanded as the two sailed through the air, clothes slightly on fire, the ground getting closer and closer every second.

"HAI SENSEI!" Itachi called back, twisting himself in the air to adopt a position to protect his head and spine.

At this point in his training, he was two months in… and things like this were becoming a regular part of the day.

And while it did freshen up the shinobi lifestyle… it mostly increased the number of fresh hospital beds waiting for the two.

* * *

And that was the view Uchiha Shisui was greeted too as he walked through the village on patrol.

Two on fire shinobi shooting through the sky. And one of them seemed so familiar...

'Itachi-san?' Shisui thought.

The cousin of Itachi Uchiha blinked as his family member and a cloaked Shinobi went soaring through the air.

Some of the villagers pointed and others began to whisper.

"Back at it again"

"Those damn ninja"

"It's the masked one, I'm telling you. An Uchiha would never do something so silly"

"What the fuck?" Shisui muttered, before he dashed off in the direction they would be landing in.

* * *

The explosion was pretty impressive Itachi had to admit. He had been working on a seal with Naruto on the rooftop, the best possible place to work according to his strange Sensei.

Upon completing the outer ring of the third layered seal, Naruto had inspected his work immediately.

Naruto said everything seemed to be in order, but the masked teacher had said that 'something feels off though'

And of course he had to go and channel a metric ton of chakra into the seal.

To which Itachi had discovered he had created something called a 'Reciprocating Vampire Seal' rather than a two stage explosive note, and before the eldest Uchiha could ask what on earth was a Reciprocating Vampire Seal... the metric _fuck_ ton of chakra that had been pumped into the seal?

Yeah…. it _reciprocated._

"I SEE THE TREELINE MY PRECIOUS STUDENT! BRACE!" Itachi couldn't see his teacher, but he could feel the wave of fuuton chakra being expelled to slow their descent.

"HAI SENSEI!" Itachi tried to say this, but it came out as "HAI SENSAAAAAAH!" due to the amount of branches and trees he collided with.

Itachi landed in a crumple on the ground, his vision blurry from the impact.

He remained like this for what felt like an hour, but was actually a few minutes.

A presence began to approach him.

"You alright Itachi?" an obscure figure bent over Itachi, his face being indiscernible to the Uchiha's eyes.

Itachi groaned in pain and tried to sit up.

"Easy there" an arm wrapped itself around his back, trying to slowly help him up, "do you need a visit to the hospital?" the speaker half joked.

"N-no" Itachi spoke, shaking his head as he began to regain his senses. His wounds were minimal. "I should be fine… Shisui" Itachi addressed the man overlooking him.

Uchiha Shisui was a very talented Shinobi. A young one as well. His strength lay in his unique ocular genjutsu and his formidable mastery of the Shunshin. A personal Kenjutsu style was just icing on the Anbu Resume for the young Jounin when he signed up for the black ops group, four years ago.

"You flew pretty far Itachi" Shisui began to stroke his chin in wonder, "what caused your brief flight?"

"That would be me other Uchiha-san!" a voice came from above them almost instantly.

Itachi looked up calmly for his Sensei while Shisui's head swung around in panic.

'How'd this guy sneak up on me?' he was already reaching for the sword strapped to his back.

"Up here shit head" the same voice repeated now more annoyed in its tone.

Shisui looked up just as Itachi stood up.

"Can I get some help down?"

His sensei was caught in a strange predicament. Itachi didn't know how, but a grand amount of rope appeared to have ensnared his captain by the legs and arm, currently causing him to hang from the tree canopy.

"It appears I triggered a genin trap on my way through the tree's" the mask altered to mimic a smile, creeping Shisui out.

Itachi sighed.

Two expertly thrown Kunai and his masked teacher was free.

"OIIII!" Naruto shouted as he plummeted face first into the forest floor. He recovered instantly, pouncing at Itachi, "TEME!"

"Baka-sensei" Itachi said calmly, dodging under the swipe at his face.

The masked teacher landed on the other side of him, a glint coming from the eyes in the mask.

"Perhaps a spar then?"

"Huh?" Itachi responded intelligently. This came out of the blue. Why would his sensei want to spar?

"We are quite far out from my projected landing zone… but while we are here at the training grounds, wouldn't it be a good idea to stretch our legs and get down to a bit of bloodshed?"

Itachi didn't need to see his Sensei's face to know he was sporting a grin right now.

But if he wanted to spar… this would prove to be a good way to judge his teacher's abilities, as well as review his own.

"Perhaps the other Uchiha brat can join as well?" Naruto remarked offhandedly.

"Oi" Shisui called out indignantly at being called brat by someone younger than him.

"Fine" Itachi said, "Shisui will be on my side… but sensei, are you sure you can handle two on one?"

Shisui was still spluttering about how 'good friends don't drag other friends into fights with their crazy teacher', when Naruto began to laugh.

"I've built myself to deal with quantity… not quality. Itachi, this will be a good review of our skills for the both of us"

* * *

"Ara?" Setsuna looked up, her eyebrow raised.

"Eh?" Kakashi looked at his student who was staring off into the distance, "whats wrong?"

Team Seven was taking a break. After a very vigorous training session followed by a short lunch, the team had just broke down into simple socialising and small talk, idly passing the time until they would start the next bout of training.

"One of my traps triggered" Setsuna responded simply, before narrowing her eyes, "and there's a lot of chakra being thrown around" she held her arm out, pointing in a specific direction after finally being able to judge where it was coming from.

Kiba grumbled and sat up from his nap on the floor, "Akamaru went off in that direction earlier" the unasked 'can we go check it out?' hanging in the air for Kakashi to groan before looking at Sasuke.

The Uchiha was also fixed in the direction, a look of recognition flashing across his cool gaze.

"Fine" Kakashi huffed, "team seven, our primary objective is to recover Akamaru… the secondary objective is to watch whoever is sparing" he mumbled the second part.

* * *

"SHISUI! BACK UP!" Itachi's sharingan spotted the seal.

"Kai" Naruto muttered from the treeline.

"Shunshin no jutsu!" Shisui shouted before he disappeared.

In that instant, a second after Itachi's cousin vanished, the entire ground lit up in flames. They blasted into the air, tearing into the sky for as far as the eye could see. These flames continued to spit into the air for another 10 seconds before dissipating.

"Fuinjutsu: Devils Hotpot" the masked blond appeared in the aftermath, calming stepping across the singed ground.

"Fuck" Shisui whispered, appearing next to Itachi. Both of the Uchiha clansmen were worn out and tired, each of them having spent a considerable amount of Chakra and energy to get this far into the fight.

Itachi's sensei had one particularly annoying seal that allowed him to absorb jutsu and then a second later send them right back at the caster. The seals were engraved into the gloves that he wore.

"The mask prevents genjutsu, so our ocular powers are nullified" Itachi muttered taking every aspect of the blond that was slowly approaching them.

"It's almost like he's some kind of anti Uchiha specialist" Shisui growled, readying his katana.

"And this is why I'm teaching you in the sealing arts Itachi!" Naruto called to his student, stopping his movement towards the Uchiha.

Shisui growled, hating the feeling of uselessness, "nothing but cheap garbage" Shisui started, planning on saying more. Itachi of course realised this, and lunged at Shisui, "DON'T!" the heir to the Uchiha yelled comically… but it was too late.

"Your 'art' is complete crap" Shisui declared, pointing right at the masked guy.

"Oh sweet kami" Itachi breathed out quietly.

Naruto became silent.

Too silent.

He had frozen as well.

His body shuddered slightly.

Shisui had no idea the cord he had struck.

"...teme…" he whispered, "...you dare insult…"

Flames just seemed to appear around him, " **MY ART!** "

In the next couple of seconds, Shisui began to realise why he had made such a big mistake. Firstly, the masked shinobi in front of them performed a single seal, revealing his face and his casual grey and white shinobi attire.

Secondly, the now painfully blond shinobi drew a Kunai… a _very_ familiar Kunai.

And lastly, Shisui connected the face of his opponent with the face of the blond haired, blue eyed Hokage who utilised those very Kunai.

"...you just had to open your mouth" Itachi droned out as he slouched while standing, looking up to the sky, "you just had to go and say it" he groaned.

"I-i-i-tachi" Shisui muttered, "he-e's n-n-not…" Itachi gave Shisui a blank look, one that read clearly, 'yes he is'

"Kunai Kage bunshin no Jutsu" the single tri-pronged Kunai became hundreds, each Kunai scouring the area.

Shisui had to dodge a few, but Itachi stayed slouched, watching lazily as his friend still tried to stop the inevitable.

" **HIRAISHIN NO JUTSU!** " the Jutsu coupled with an effective series of punches, kicks and the occasional smack subdued the two Uchiha.

After the maelstrom of beatdown was bestowed, Naruto dispelled the clone Kunai, teleporting to the original Hiraishin Kunai and retrieved it.

"NI-SAN!" Naruto looked up at the shout… and got decked right in the face by an angry black haired Uchiha female.

* * *

Sasuke clenched his fist as Setsuna punched the blond haired man in the face.

He had watched on with Kakashi and team seven as the man made short work of two Uchiha prodigies. And his big brother. His all powerful big brother.

Kiba was praising the masked haired man, until the mask was removed.

Kakashi face palmed as his team stared in shock.

"Minato-sama" Setsuna gasped, noticing the similarities. Her shock wore off quickly when he started to teleport… and her brother got caught in the crossfire.

And thus she had snarled, "Teme!" and charged forward with all her feminine fury.

Naruto didn't even see the punch coming.

Sasuke watched all of this happen with a sense of morbid humour and wide eyes. Kiba approached the quiet Sasuke, his eyes still on Setsuna giving the blond a piece of her mind.

"Dude… your sister has got balls" Kiba whispered from what he hoped was a safe distance from the irate Uchiha girl.

"I know" Sasuke admitted, disapproving of his sister's inability to hold back her anger.

"Massive balls" Kakashi muttered, watching as she punched Naruto in the forehead after shouting at him again.

* * *

"ITAI!" the blond called out, leaning back as he gripped his head in pain.

"And don't you ever let me catch you beating on my older brother! Ever!" she snarled, stepping past him and lifting Itachi from the ground, "Itachi?" she whispered to her brother, "you alright?"

"Maa, don't be so worried about him" she turned to the voice and blanched.

The swollen face of Shisui greeted her, completely robbing him of any charm he possessed, "how bad is it Setsuna-san?"

"Uh…."

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Kiba flipped back onto his rear, pushing himself away from the bruised Shisui. He had approached the downed fighters with the rest of team seven, but hadn't been able to control his fright upon seeing the ruined Shisui.

The bloated face of the Ninja was suddenly covered in a rain cloud.

"Fuin" Naruto suddenly said his voice lacking any real emotion, and a seal appeared on Shisui's face, a green glow emitting from it.

In an instant, the swelling began to drop away, and the bruises began to fade.

Naruto turned to all the surprised individuals and then bowed deeply, "I am sorry for putting Itachi in danger"

"What about me?!" Shisui was ignored.

"Please accept my sincere apology for hurting your brother… and cousin" the comment was mostly targeted at the Uchiha, but it was the depth of the apology that severely confused everyone.

"It's alright sensei" Itachi stood up from his half crouch and walked to his now depressed sensei, "I believe we are 'burning daylight' as you would say"

And like just like that, the positive Naruto returned… as well as his mask and clothes.

"How right you are my best student ever!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Am I not your only student?"

"URUSAI!"

"Hn"

"Ja ne!" Naruto grinned, the mask mimicking him and the two disappeared.

As soon as the students of Kakashi saw the mask, and recalled Itachi's use of the word Sensei. The genin began to put two and two together.

"Your little brother is teaching my older brother?"

"Why is he so strong?"

"Can you teach us that teleporting thing?"

"How does he do it?"

Kakashi was blown away by the large amount of questioning that was fired his way, slowly but surely working his way through them.

'Damn it Naruto' he thought.

* * *

"You shouldn't be afraid to keep your aces hidden from your allies, ya know?" Itachi turned to look at his teacher, finally beginning to notice how tired he seemed.

"What do you mean by aces?"

Naruto laughed.

"Don't play stupid you brat" his smile wavered at the end, "if ya can't trust your village with your skills, then who can you?"

Itachi hummed, "family" and turned back to his scroll.

"Isn't the village just an extension of your family?" Itachi met eyes with Naruto, "my dad used to say things like that. How secrets between allies lead to feuds between families"

A sad gaze leaked onto his sensei.

"You're acting too old for your age" Itachi scolded, but he was giving the words the blond said some thought.

"I bet that you would have won if ya went all out" Naruto huffed, referring to the spar, "what point is a review upon yourself if you can't test out how well your skills weigh up against another formidable opponent!"

"My 'ace in the hole' sensei, has a price" Naruto blinked as Itachi said this, noticing how the Uchiha went back to work.

"I begin to lose my eyesight for each ability that I use, eventually leading to pure blindness"

"Oi"

"All because the power that these eyes hold is something so corrupt"

"Itachi!"

"Something that no one should have to-" Naruto's hand gripped the one he had around the brush.

"It's alright" Naruto's mask was gone, "I understand if it's personal, and I understand if it's hard to keep a powerful secret" Naruto grinned at his student, "I've got a few myself that Jiji would kill me for if I told ya?"

"One of them being your heritage?" Itachi asked with a slice of humour in his voice.

"Well of course" Naruto said, rolling his eyes, "if I gave away the fact I was the only surviving son of Namikaze-" the blond stopped, his eyebrow twitching.

"Teme!"

Itachi smiled as Naruto fumed.

"To be fair, you were the one who talked, not me" Itachi claimed the innocent card as Naruto stomped off.

"Don't you have somewhere to be for dinner?"

Naruto said this neutrally as he marched up his steps to the second floor.

"Oh, yes! Thank you for reminding me" Itachi nodded at Naruto, wrapping up his own personal sealing kit, scrolls and brushes included.

A small object was tossed at him, upon which Itachi caught it.

Inspecting it, he pocketed the miniscule brush Naruto had thrown him.

"For editing seal work. We're going to be learning how to break seals in two months. If you haven't already finished the four books, go to the final chapter of the third edition, it'll have everything you need"

Itachi bowed with Naruto only watching out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you Sensei!" Itachi stated firmly.

Naruto's eye twitched, "scram you brat!"

Itachi just nodded and left, leaving Naruto to have dinner alone in his complex.

* * *

"Itachi-kun" Mikoto mumbled as her son slipped into the dinner room.

"Kaa-san" Itachi bowed.

Mikoto frowned. Her eldest child had been showing up later and later on his way home, spending more and more time with his teacher. 'Dangerous teacher' according to her daughter.

"How was your lesson?"

"Sensei proves to still remain the pinnacle of all sealing knowledge. He retains his position as the most powerful Shinobi I have met so far"

Itachi was the most humble Uchiha there was. A quiet and reserved boy since birth, Mikoto wasn't sure weather to hurt or hug the maksed wearing teacher who was responsible for the development of her son's social life.

"Gomen" came Fugaku's voice as he appeared a few seconds after Itachi, "I was caught up with clan matters for longer than usual"

Mikoto didn't fail to notice Itachi's eyes linger on her fathers for longer than usual, with Fugaku returning the calm gaze.

"Can we eat now?" muttered Sasuke as the three oldest people in the room continued to stare off with one another.

The words from one of the twins facilitated a diffusion of tension. The three broke gazes and took their places at the table.

"How was your training today Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto smiled as her son frowned at the tease.

"It was fine kaa-san. Kakashi-san is putting us through the ringer… Kiba still thinks he is a challenge for me" Sasuke lazily stated the first half, but frowned when he spoke upon Kiba.

"He more than likely is going to be a challenge for you Sasuke" Fugaku added his input, stern expression dominate on his features, "frankly I can't imagine an Inuzuka today who wasn't forced into shape by Tsume-san… she is a very… _formidable_ shinobi"

Mikoto ignored the comment, knowing of the brief fling between Fugaku and Tsume in their genin days, before she started talking, "in fact, at this age I would expect all of your friends and classmates to be on a similar level with a few discrepancies of course" Mikoto promptly summarized.

"Young Shinobi haven't reached their prime yet… they are bound to be weaker than a majority of the older shinobi" Fugaku stated sagely, thinking of all the Shinobi he had worked with in the past.

"Kakashi's baka of a brother is the strongest Shinobi I've ever met and he's only two years older than me… three at most" Setsuna grumbled, her rebuttal standing firm for a second.

"Well, that's because-" both the parents paused before they began to speak, glancing at one another than blinking.

"Kakashi Hatake has a brother?" Fugaku almost spat in surprise.

"Little brother" Sasuke corrected.

"What?!" Fugaku growled in shock.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze... Hatake"

Shocked faces remained on Mikoto and Fugaku as they slowly turned their head to look at Itachi, the one who had said the name.

"It's quite a mouthful, and Sensei prefers Naruto Hatake anyway"

"Namikaze?!" Fugaku exclaimed, standing up and pointing his finger at Itachi. Mikoto burst out of her seat as well, pointing her finger at her eldest son while exclaiming in disbelief, "Uzumaki!?"

"You lie!" they both shouted at the same time with conviction.

"Blond hair, blue eyes, a bad temper, he's an excellent seals master and most importantly…" Itachi paused for dramatic effect, loving every second of this, "he can use the Hiraishin no Jutsu"

Mikoto's face hardened.

So Kushina's kid survived?

Wait till she got her hands on that old monkey of a Kage, she would-

"No" Fugaku's voice boomed in the sudden silence, "Mikoto, not now. We can deal with this tomorrow"

"But-"

"No" Fugaku repeated, his mind racing, "this is something more serious than I can imagine. We'd have to bring the council together just for this, and we'd be confronting the Hokage on a lie he has told all of us"

Setsuna and Sasuke were watching the conversation between their mother and father grow more heated and professional by the second, their faces blank and vacant.

Until their mother mentioned something.

"-and my promise with Kushina? We agreed that our kids would be-" Fugaku slapped his hand over her mouth instantly, eyes wide in panic.

"What promise?" Sasuke asked, his arms crossed over his chest. Setsuna had a glare in her eyes, her two tomoe sharingan already activated.

Itachi could already take a guess as to what his parents meant, but rather than interrupt, he felt this should be played out.

The eldest gently took a sip of tea as his younger siblings glared at their parents.

"What promise?" Setsuna repeated, her eyes beginning to spin slightly.

"It… it doesn't concern… one of you" Fugaku tried to begin diplomatically.

Itachi guessed exactly what this meant. He was right, he knew exactly what the promise was between Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha.

"Which one of us?" Sasuke asked. Itachi knew that his little brother had caught onto what his parents meant.

Itachi snapped his eyes to his adorable -yet violent- little sister.

She hadn't caught on yet… oh dear.

"This agreement has nothing to do with you Sasuke" Mikoto decided to just let it out. Sasuke blanched, looking towards his now confused sister.

"So it has to do with me?"

"Yes it does" Itachi responded, a grin being hidden by a hand brought up to his mouth as he faked a cough.

"Well what is it?" Setsuna calmly stated, folding her hands over her lap.

'Oh she's pissed' Itachi and Sasuke both realised.

'Oh dear' Mikoto sighed internally.

"An agreement was made between both Mikoto and the late Kushina… as well as an agreement made between Minato-sama and myself… we both planned to join our families to form a stronger bond with one another. So of course, it became more convenient when Minato and Kushina married. Which meant, that the only bond left to create was between the Uchiha and their clans" Fugaku's eye twitched as he spoke.

"So we made an agreement… that our children would marry once they became of age"

The bomb had been dropped.

"They had a son it seems" Mikoto reiterated, trying to make eye contact with her daughter, who now hid her eyes behind her bangs, "which means that it would be our daughter who joined with them"

Chakra flared.

"This is a trick isn't it?"

Setsuna was mad. Her pale face remained passive, but her eyes practically bled rage.

"We thought that since they were dead and the Hokage had not announced any children that the contract would be null and void" Fugaku didn't raise his voice, nor did he shout. He couldn't comprehend exactly what his daughter was feeling, but he still could understand the pain of an arranged marriage. He had been lucky to get Mikoto since the council of elders approved of her… Setsuna wasn't so lucky.

"This is no trick" Fugaku finally said, matching his daughter's gaze with his fully matured Sharingan.

Setsuna stood and left the room with strong and confident strides.

"Watch her" Itachi's father commanded him. The eldest didn't argue, he just vanished in a shunshin.

"So Setsuna has to married that over powered freak?" Sasuke asked out loud, his parents flinching.

"He is the same one who is teaching Itachi in sealing?" Fugaku responded.

Sasuke just nodded, closing his eyes in thought.

"She's going to want to meet him you know?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his parents, "she'll try and beat him up a bit... but if she really has to go through with this, she will. She's always put her faith in the clan"

"I think now is a good time to get to sleep" Mikoto decided to summarize, "boys take care of the dishes, I'm going to go join Itachi"

"Go run damage control mom" Sasuke mumbled and started clearing plates for the kitchen.

The matriarch of the Uchiha left.

"We didn't even get a chance to eat!" Fugaku complained.

* * *

So yeah. That's chapter two. Hope you all enjoyed! Please drop a review with any suggestions n what not, I'll try to add them in.

I got my exams coming up next week, so my content will be a little scarce for a bit, then after my exams ill be back full steam. I think...


	3. A promise

So thanks to everyone who has reviewed and fav'd and followed. Geez 80 followers already. Thanks guys n girls. I hope I'm going the right path down the story. Its this point where I need to set up all the negative crap, as well as some issues which will be occurring in later chapters. As all ways feel free to send me any suggestions! I love the input I get from all of you, it helps me create a more well rounded story some times.

Well here we go.

* * *

"Go away" Setsuna growled, absently flicking a Kunai at the taller figure who was approaching her.

The figure caught the Kunai lazily, absent mindedly pocketing it.

"Setsuna!" Itachi exclaimed in false shock, "you could have hurt your amazing older brother!"

"Go away Itachi!" she hissed, walking faster away from her brother.

Itachi ignored her.

Instead of leaving her to brood, the eldest Uchiha strode after her.

Night time in Konoha was peaceful and quiet, minimal people were on the road. The only people who were out would be heading to the red light district, on patrol, or getting back from a late night business.

No one important should be around.

"Student?"

'Oh god' Itachi froze up, hearing the one person who shouldn't be around right now.

And to his utmost unfortunate luck… Setsuna heard as well.

The black devil turned-

Itachi corrected himself.

His sister spun around, eyes wide as the now mask-less shinobi -WHO SHE WAS ENGAGED TO- was casually standing next to her annoyingly determined older brother.

"Go! Go! Go!" Itachi was shoving Naruto, trying to get him to run.

The blond of course, didn't understand.

"Ow! What? Why!?" he began to shove Itachi back, "I want to know why you're out so late!"

A fist impacted the side of his face.

Naruto flew a few feet before colliding with a wall. Sliding to the ground the seals master sat up with his eyes in swirls, a red lump forming on his head.

Setsuna didn't say anything to him, merely turning to Itachi, who was watching his Sensei with a worried gaze.

"Don't kill him"

"Why?"

"Because I wouldn't know why you are killing me?" the blond said, dusting himself off as he stood up, rubbing the spot on his head.

"Seriously? What did I do wrong?" he back stepped as she lunged at him. He stepped right as she swung. He ducked when she kicked.

And then he substituted himself when she sent a Kunai his way.

"I already said I wouldn't hurt your brother!" Naruto gasped, ducking under another barrage of fists.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm mad about!" Setsuna growled, blasting off the ground to attack the blonde who had tried to get away by using the rooftops.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Naruto cried as he began to run from the girl who was trying to senselessly beat him.

"Get back here pervert!" Setsuna gave chase, following the boy to the training grounds.

Itachi sighed and followed after.

His sister was becoming so impulsive.

A second later another presence made itself known.

Mikoto was building hoping along with Itachi.

"Kaa-san" Itachi nodded.

"That's him?" Mikoto asked, watching the blonde be attacked by her eldest daughter from a very safe distance.

"Hai" Itachi nodded, "he's… eccentric. But he's a good person. If not incredibly lonely..." the Uchiha heir said the last part quietly, his own evaluation of his sensei still in progress.

"Lonely?" Mikoto scoffed, "you of all people Itachi" she smiled at her son, "you always are so good at reading the people around you"

"He is isn't he?" Kakashi spoke up, appearing on Itachi's left. Mikoto nearly slipped in surprise.

"Your little brother needs you now more than ever Kakashi" Itachi had noticed his presence before, 'why are you not doing anything?' was implied with the raised eyebrow that the Uchiha raised towards the Hatake.

He was ghosting his brother, following his movements and actions from a safe distance.

"I know" Kakashi grimaced, watching his brother perform an incredible back flip to avoid a burst of flames from the angry younger sister.

"You are aware then?" Mikoto jumped into the conversation figuratively, gesturing at the display of jutsu and evasion a few meters ahead of them.

"The Hokage and the council gave me orders to not tell him about it" Kakashi mumbled.

"And they didn't think that somehow during my son's apprenticeship under him, that the information of his heritage wouldn't get out?" Mikoto fumed, locking the Hatake with a firm glare.

"Naruto-sensei is not one for subterfuge. He doesn't try to blatantly hide things" Itachi sagely observed.

"PROTECT ME TREE'S!"

"You can't hide!" flame followed after Naruto as he dived face first into the tree line.

"He's going for a training ground" Itachi realised.

"As much as he may seem like an idiot, he's taking her to a place where she can vent her anger safely… and where he can get some answers" Kakashi nodded, "follow me you two. I know where he is going" Kakashi cut left, jumping towards training ground 3.

* * *

"Ara, isn't this getting a little bit out of hand?"

"STAND STILL!" Setsuna growled, swiping at his face then chest with flame covered fists. Her jonin sensei would think upon how new that was.

"But if I stand still" Naruto vanished then reappeared, "you'll hit me"

"THAT'S THE POINT!"

"But I don't even know why you're-"

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Suiton: Suijinheki!" a seal on Naruto's arm lit up, and water began to funnel out of it.

Setsuna ducked back into the smoke that was created from the two techniques colliding. He was incredibly competent.

"Fuin!"

Setsuna's cover disappeared, the smoke being absorbed into another small seal on the blonde's visible arm.

His attire had changed.

The sleeve of his right arm had vanished, revealing a heavily tattooed arm…

'Sealing tattoo's' she realised, instinctively moving back a step.

"Either you tell me why you're so pissed at me…" he began touching the tattoo's all over his arm, his finger dancing up his arm like a spider, tapping different seals and glyphs, causing them to glow and connect.

A red line would appear under his skin, connecting the seals he touched in the order he touched them in.

'There must be… millions of combinations' Setsuna was in awe.

Itachi had told her of how powerful just one complex seal. The blonde had the ability to create different seals and more than likely cast what ever effect they had.

"...or I use _this_ on you"

His arm started to glow. A white aura surrounding it like a clear glowing mist.

"Bastard" was all Setsuna said.

The blonde disappeared.

Setsuna had only a second to dodge the finger that tried to touch her head. Her human instincts screamed at her to not let there be any contact between the blonde's right arm and her skin.

The aura being given off by the arm was terrifying.

"I'm giving you one chance to talk" Naruto growled, all the humor from the situation disappearing for him as he stood across from her.

Setsuna was a proud girl.

That goes without question.

Her prowess and ability made her stand out not just among her peers, but within the Uchiha as well.

Her looks made her desirable, even with Sasuke and Itachi as over protective brothers, men would try now, and they would continue to try later.

With all of this to consider, it was no surprise that Setsuna Uchiha held herself at a high regard.

So when faced against a super powered shinobi, of whom she had never met or even heard of before, that very same stubborn pride came into play.

"Make me" she challenged.

Naruto blinked.

Then smirked.

Setsuna was paralysed on the floor before her heart could beat.

* * *

"When did he mark her?" Mikoto asked, recognising the Hiraishin teleportation.

"He can throw the marks through the air" Itachi said, tilting his head slightly, "he does not need to make physical contact like Minato-sama needed to"

"What do you mean he can throw the marks through the air?"

"Not even I know how he does it, but he can. I don't know what the speed is, or how far he can throw them, but he can mark you just by pointing at you" Kakashi explained.

The three were silent for a moment, Mikoto sitting on the branch of the tree, Itachi standing, and Kakashi leaning against the tree's body.

They watched as Naruto sat down next to the paralyzed Uchiha girl.

"I don't know how to feel about this" Mikoto mumbled, intently watching her daughter.

* * *

"You really need to calm down" Naruto suggested, his tone bland as he crouched down next to the Uchiha girl.

"Screw you!" she snarled, her body twitching as she tried to order her traitorous arm to strike him.

Naruto sighed then brought his knees up, holding them close to his chest as he sat next to her, a frown on his face, "you really should tell me why you're so mad at me"

"Pervert" she muttered, "stop pretending"

Naruto palmed his face, a frown already forming under the hand.

"I seriously have no idea about why you're so mad at me" Naruto blankly stared at her, moving to sit down next to her, his eyes on the tree's as she glared at him.

"But if I knew, then maybe he could begin to do something about it" he smiled slightly, still eyeing her carefully.

Setsuna's glare began to falter.

'Maybe he doesn't know why?'

She was doubting her conviction.

So she decided to test him.

"We're getting married"

"Oh"

Naruto blinked. His brain was a little slow on registering what she actually said.

"NANI?!" he flipped out, scrambling back a little bit before leaning closer to her, "Oi, teme. You're lying ain't ya? There's no way I agreed to marrying a brat like you"

"It doesn't matter whether we agreed or not" Setsuna grit her teeth as he raised a confused eyebrow, "this was a contract agreed upon by our parents"

"Parents?" Naruto was confused.

"My clan knows who you are the son of, and apparently… we have a pre-existing agreement between the Uzumaki-Namikaze and the Uchiha"

"When I'm of age" Setsuna gulped, suddenly feeling very scared, "we'll be getting married"

Naruto stood.

"Oi" Setsuna growled, "you can't just-"

"No"

"Huh?" she replied unintelligently, confusion dancing across her dark eyes.

"I said no" Naruto grumbled, "I won't let this happen. You're obviously not okay with this, and I don't know who you are at all! I'm not… No one is supposed to marry a stranger!" Naruto fumed, stamping the ground slightly and clenching his fist as he declared, "you're supposed to marry who you love! Not some cheap substitute"

Setsuna blinked.

"Don't worry Uchiha-chan!" Naruto smiled down at her, pointing at her as he promised, "I'll make sure you don't have to marry me! I wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone!" he laughed at the last part, a big stupid grin appearing on his face.

"Setsuna"

"Huh?"

"My name is Setsuna"

"Well Setsuna-chan, I'll make sure you won't be tied down by the likes of me!" he gave her a silly thumbs up, "believe it!"

* * *

Mikoto had a smile on her face the entire way home.

Ever since she had seen Minato's child make that promise to her daughter, she felt like she was watching Kushina propose to Minato.

It was clumsy.

It was arrogant.

It was also very silly.

But it was heartfelt.

That was _definitely_ Kushina's child, with Minato'slooks of course.

"What a kind young boy" Mikoto finally remarked, looking over at her quiet daughter who was walking next to Itachi.

"Naruto sensei cares for the people around him and everyone in the village" Itachi was being prophetic again, "he does not discriminate between one person and the other, we are all equally important to him"

"He's got a big heart than"

"That means he'll feel a lot of loss" Setsuna stated quietly.

"That's his choice" Itachi nodded, not disagreeing with her, but also respecting his teacher's choice.

Kakashi had followed after Naruto.

Only Itachi had noticed the sadness in his eye.

* * *

The two walked in silence. Naruto had finally done what he planned to do when he went out tonight. A local shop was dealing in Chakra conductive metals and the first of the metal's was to be put on sale the following day. Naruto needed these metals.

So he had brokered a deal with the shopkeeper. A deal involving a lot of seals, some Ryo and even a bottle of rare sake.

"How much is that again?" Kakashi gestured to the small scroll that Naruto held.

"Two tons" Naruto answered his brother.

"Two tons in a four by four scroll? Your matrix work has improved again?" Kakashi had his only eyebrow raised.

"Of course" Naruto smiled at his brother, "I'll be the greatest seal master one day! I gotta be able to use the small simple seals to their maximum effectiveness"

"You don't have to be alone"

Naruto froze up, his eyes darting to Kakashi's before he let his mask appear.

"Kakashi" he warned quietly.

"You don't. Being alone and wanting to be alone is a dangerous thing. You've seen what it can do to people. Isolation has destroyed greater ninja than you or me"

"Kakashi"

"Seriously Naruto. I heard what you said to the Uchiha. You're my precious little brother but you don't have to live a life of solitude just because-"

"Kakashi" A kunai pointed at his chin made him shut up.

Brother stared at brother, both refusing to break eye contact.

"I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune if you have not forgotten" Naruto whispered in fury as he stood in front of Kakashi, Hiraishin Kunai pressed to his chin.

"I am the most effective seal master in Konoha to this date"

Naruto's mask had reappeared on his face.

"I am the greatest weapon Konoha has in times of darkness" the Kunai vanished, "and I will not allow myself the weakness of being connected to someone"

Naruto vanished after that.

Kakashi felt like crying. But he didn't. He might have failed his little brother as of this moment. But he hadn't failed him yet. There was still time. So he held back his tears.

Instead he turned to the shadows on his right and said, "he's more hurt than you could ever imagine"

"I'm just beginning to notice that" Jiraiya muttered, melting out from the darkness and into the little light in the street.

"What are we going to do?" Kakashi asked him honestly, turning to look at a flickering street lamp.

It had been broken by a rock hitting it and was desperately trying to cast light onto the darkened path of the street that lead to Naruto's house.

"I don't know" Jiraiya murmured, "but I'm going to go talk to the old man"

Kakashi nodded as the light finally gave out, failing to work anymore.

The street was shrouded in darkness.

Both Shinobi departed in different directions, neither of them following after Naruto.

* * *

"Kage bunshin!" Naruto practically shouted. He had appeared just above the ground in his home.

Three clones appeared.

"Open the basement"

Each clone gave the other a look, meeting eyes briefly. They had all hesitated.

Red veins of chakra lanced through Naruto's face and arms, lighting up the ducts underneath his skin and within his body, glowing through his thick black clothing.

" _ **Now!**_ " he snarled, whisker marks suddenly becoming more defined. A light layer of steam began to appear around his body.

The clones all hurried off to the corners of the room as Naruto began to set the dials for his own key, adjusting it to the code for today.

He calmed himself slightly. Only enough so that he was able to pump his chakra into the seal, not the Kyuubi's.

The key began to adjust itself to the correct measurements and mechanism.

"Ready" the other clones said in unison, all of them standing by a corner of the training floor.

Naruto flickered through the air to his side, pressing his key into the locking mechanism.

The large sealing array appeared on the floor.

Naruto flashed to the central space as the array pulsed.

The drop into the lower floor began.

Naruto was swallowed into darkness.

* * *

Light flashed across his vision.

He had actually fallen asleep for once.

Naruto sat up from his desk, pushing the rolling chair away from the desk. He was sore. His back specifically. He had gotten a new seal placed there, one that was designed to help regulate and change gravity, allowing for further jumps between spaces. It was a relatively large seal. It started from the top of the spinal column, just below the neck, and traced four different paths across his limbs.

" _Its good work"_ the Kyuubi said.

"This seal specifically?" Naruto asked back out loud, slowly disrobing, leaving himself only in his pants and underwear.

His body was heavily tattooed. His right arm had a band tattoo, a thick black circle that surrounded his shoulder joint, separating the seals on his arm from the seals covering the rest of his body.

Naruto made a single hand sign, summoning an array of mirrors from the the ground. This mirror array allowed for a full body inspection, meaning Naruto could observe every seal that had been added.

" _Gravitational seals are rare_ " Kurama remarked idly, " _I have only seen a handful of them in my lifetime_ "

"So I'm actually good for something then?" Naruto retorted with a smug grin.

" _Do not be so confident brat_ " the fox snorted, " _the Uzumaki I knew were still eons ahead of you in terms of sealing knowledge_ "

"Thanks fox" Naruto grumbled now, and the fuzz ball laughed in his head.

" _You need to start going to the basement more often now_ " Kurama said suddenly.

"Is it getting that bad?" the fox hummed in response.

A beat of silence as Kurama scanned the blonde's body.

" _I would estimate another four years before my chakra is fully assimilated… but the personality will suffer indefinitely"_

'No matter what I do… I'll lose Kurama-baka' Naruto lamented.

" _I can't pretend to know what will happen to me once the seal runs its course, but the effects appear to be dire for the both of us…"_ Kurama paused, " _we will need time away. A safe place to process what will happen"_

Naruto knew what that meant perfectly.

"In order to keep Konoha safe… we have to run from it"

" _I don't like this anymore than you do kit… but for all we know, we could explode with enough force to level the village. If you want to keep this place safe, you gotta run away"_

Naruto sighed.

"Four years?"

" _In four years time yes"_

"Damn"

Naruto turned around, his clothes appearing on his body, covering over his tattoo's and all of his stitches.

He had a student to teach.

* * *

Hiruzen could feel a headache beginning to form.

The Uchiha head had requested for a Shinobi council meeting. That could never prove to be good.

Danzo had been producing more and more effective and emotionless Shinobi. But they were beginning to lose their touch. Some missions were going astray, and on a few occasions the Root operatives had almost been caught.

"Hokage-sama" his kind assistant knocked on the office door, "the representative of Kumo is here to see you"

"Hai" Hiruzen had to physically restrain himself from destroying his desk in pure frustration.

"Send him in please"

The door opened.

Hiruzen stiffled a surprised gasp.

"Been a very long time you old geezer"

* * *

Dun dun DAAAAA.

Yeah.

Shit is happening.

Not as action packed as I hoped. But I'm setting the stage for a good few fights and what not.

But I really hope you all have enjoyed. Thats my primary goal out of this, to entertain all of you.

Thanks. AND MAKE SURE TO HAVE A GOOD DAY!

-Freedom out

(o3o)


	4. The Power of Human Sacrifice

I KNOW THIS ONE IS A LITLE SHORT! AND IT TOOK AWHILE!

That's because I have my exams on right now! And don't be expecting another chapter for a week or so. Maybe. I don't know okay.

Well 120 followers. Christ.

Already?

You guys are the greatest.

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW! IT FEEDS ME.**_

Here's the latest chapter!

* * *

Itachi had noticed the movements.

He hadn't decided to comment on them yet, or ask why his teacher was avoiding certain parts of his body from making contact with anything that exuded chakra.

But at one point Itachi would ask.

He would want to know what was wrong.

It would be lying to himself to say that his teacher had not grown on him, and to some degree, the Uchiha cared for this idiotic genius.

But at the same time, he couldn't accept Naruto at face value.

There was something… wrong.

Something wrong with Naruto. In every look, and in reflections on mirrors, in the way he interacted with other Jonin Ninja or even his brother Kakashi, there was something missing.

In every conversation, Naruto was joyous and bubbly, or being stubborn and silly. He was always an extreme. But Itachi had noticed the glint in his eyes, and how certain words or certain people set him off.

Umino Iruka was one of those people.

A few Jonin and Chunin also had that effect on Itachi's teacher.

The Uchiha so far wasn't able to tell what it was, but something tied all those people together. Something that made them all different to Naruto. He acted like he owed them more than all the others.

A hand swatted Itachi on the back of the head.

"Focus"

Itachi realised he must have spaced out. Bowing his head slightly in apology he turned to his work and began the next seal.

Daylight had just began to trickle into the room. They would break for breakfast soon.

It had been one week since Naruto had implemented a new training regime. One which involved Itachi to be working and living alongside Naruto.

The Uchiha had packed up a few of his belongings, and moved into Naruto's complex.

This way, Naruto was able to maximise the time they spent working on seals.

'It's almost as if he doesn't have much time left' Itachi thought.

A hand swatted Itachi on the back of the head.

"Teme. Focus"

"Hai" Itachi said, finally turning back to his work and the half completed seal.

* * *

"You're certainly a sight for sore eyes" the elder man sat down in front of Hiruzen.

"Speak for yourself Tatsu" Hiruzen grumbled, watching the representative from Kumo take his seat.

There was silence between the old men.

A comfortable, yet tense silence.

"Been awhile huh. Still can't believe you made Kage" Tatsu grinned, his white hair framing his stern face. Blue eyes.

He still had those same, striking, blue eyes.

Hiruzen grinned.

"I still cannot believe that you have become the head counselor and Kumo ambassador"

Tatsu's grin shifted into a sly smile, "it's been awhile since the Chunin exam. Many things were bound to change"

Both of them laughed.

Another few beats of silence.

"Kumo wants to be included en mass for the next chunin exam" Tatsu finally said.

"The council will not like that"

"We feel the need to redeem ourselves in the public eye"

Hiruzen cocked an eyebrow, "you're asking for a second chance?"

Tatsu frowned, "Raikage-sama doesn't want to do it. His pride won't be able to take the hit that, 'Konoha gave them a second chance'. So myself and the council of elders of Kumo are requesting this of you"

Tatsu clasped his hands together, thinking deeply.

"The Raikage is not a man to extend his hand to ask for his own help, but he will take the hand that is offered"

"I'm surprised he made Kage with that kind of attitude"

"His individual strength speaks for itself"

"You think I or anyone else became Kage because we are the strongest?"

"Point taken" Tatsu admitted, but pressed on, "however he has other admirable traits"

"You'll have to let the council debate this" Hiruzen took a puff from his smoke pipe, "the best I can do is put in a good word"

"A good word is fine" Tatsu didn't mind the smoke that was practically blown into his face, "I am only here to try. As long as we put the effort in, I feel that's the first step to solving this problem"

Hiruzen turned pensive.

"Second"

"Pardon?"

"That's the second step to solving a problem" the Sandaime sank back in his chair lightly, thoughts of a young blond seal master running around Konoha.

"Then what's the first step?" Tatsu was curious.

Hiruzen's gaze had been drifting as he thought about Naruto, but his eyes snapped back up to Tatsu when he answered.

"Recognising there is a problem"

Tatsu was able to recognise that his old friend was thinking about something specific, but being in the positions they were, they weren't able to talk about it like they would have been able to years ago.

"My guards are currently wandering around the village" Tatsu decided to bring another issue to his old friends attention.

Hiruzen just raised an eyebrow.

"The Raikage was insistent that we make a _statement_ of power when we came to negotiate"

"Your Raikage is becoming less and less favourable in my eyes" Hiruzen frowned. You don't try and seek the favour of another Ninja village by intimidating them.

"Raikage-sama respects power. He's a little narrow minded when thinking that other countries would see it any differently"

"So who are the guards?"

"Number two and number eight"

Hiruzen sat up straight in his chair, eyes wide in panic.

"ANBU!" he almost shouted.

Four shadows slipped from the walls and appeared around Tatsu's chair, kneeling in front of their Kage.

They waited silently for their orders.

"Find Naruto. Do NOT let him leave his house for the three days that Tatsu-san remains here"

Before the ANBU could leave, the door burst open.

"Hokage-sama!" a Jonin entered the room, "Naruto-san is standing off against two Kumo Jonin in the civilian district.

"Kuso!" the Sandaime vanished with his ANBU, heading off to deal with the situation. Tatsu decided to follow.

* * *

"NO! BRUSH LEFT! BRUSH-" the training ground exploded.

The original's each received the memories of their clones dying in a fiery explosion. Naruto shivered while Itachi stood perfectly still.

"When breaking a seal" Naruto began to lecture Itachi, "it's always important to consistently observe the outer level. Most of the time, the outer layer may contain a second or tertiary level of sealing that will only become visible or make sense once you break past the third or fourth matrix."

"Hai"

Itachi was making notes on a small note pad.

"Your sister is also getting annoying"

Itachi's eye twitched at the mention of his sister. She was currently sitting on the branch of a tree about twelve meters to their right, idly watching them as she read a book.

She had deemed Naruto too dangerous to be left alone with her brother, so for any free time she had, she was watching over the student and teacher duo as they worked or even relaxed.

Itachi knew why she was doing this, as in, her real reason for stalking the two, but he didn't have the heart or bravery to confront his fearsome sister about it.

"You think she could just take part in sealing classes with us?"

"Huh?" Naruto turned to his student, the mask he wore raising an eyebrow, "now that you say it… that does sound like a good idea"

Itachi blinked 'That worked?'

"If more than one Uchiha were to be proficient in sealing, that would make it so much easier for me to pass it down to the next generation. In fact, I wouldn't have to, you all could!" Naruto smiled, realising he found a way out of one of his brothers loopholes.

"That sounds lazy Naruto-sensei" Itachi murmured, creating another clone and collected a new selection of sealing equipment from his own storage seals.

His clothing now featured a series of hidden seals used for the storage of equipment. Itachi was able to seal anything the size of a book shelf.

In the mid morning sun, the Uchiha never noticed his sensei's head turn to the left ever so slightly.

He never noticed his sensei tense up.

"Oi… Itachi..." Naruto mumbled, his attention focused completely elsewhere.

"Hm?" the eldest turned to look at his teacher.

"I'll… I'll be right back"

* * *

"Fucking tree huggers" Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki of the two tailed Cat had a bad temper.

Being in the same country as those that rendered her an orphan… well, it then became understandable as to why she was in a bad mood.

"It's not so bad! No need to be mad!" her taller counterpart was drawing a lot of attention with his eccentric speaking and loud rhyming.

He was Killer Bee, the Jinchuuriki of the eight tailed Ox. Or octopus… Who knows?

When the two had arrived with Tatsu, the Kumo representative, he had given the Jinchuriki free time. Yugito couldn't understand how the man could hold any trust for any individual in Konoha, let alone their Kage, but she chose not to argue with him.

They had just passed a small ramen stall, and were moving through the residential district on the way to Konoha's famous market.

What they didn't know, was that they had tripped a hidden seal just outside of the ramen stand, alerting the Shinobi who created the seal to their presence.

The crowds were beginning to get worse and worse.

Killer Bee stiffened.

Yugito knew that the people of Konoha were openly staring at them, each of them wondering what Kumo shinobi were doing in Konoha.

"Yugito"

"What is there problem? Other Shinobi from different countries have surely visited before"

"Yugito."

"It can't be just a bias towards Kumo? Those stupid fucking tree huggers"

A firm and strong hand gripped her shoulder.

"Expand your senses" Bee said it so calmly, with such a still voice, that Yugito didn't even hesitate.

She spread her Chakra into the air, enlarging the scope of her sensory abilities.

The sea of Chakra made it impossible to discern whatever worried Bee. The blond was about say something snarky towards her elder but stopped when she sensed something.

But then she sensed _it_.

Whatever just pinged off of her Chakra like some kind of sonar reading, wasn't human… something with that much Chakra was an _it_.

Yugito tensed up, her muscles instantly getting ready to fight. The Nibi also sparked to life, reacting to the Chakra she sensed.

In this ocean of Chakra that Yugito and Bee were swimming in, there was a shark. A big scary beast that could gobble them up at any moment. It could snap their bones into dust and leave their mutilated bodies on the streets.

And it had found them.

They were deep within the crowds, slowly progressing forward when Yugito got her first glance of _something._

A strange mask appeared within the sea of faces, a mask unlike anyone that the Anbu of Konoha wore. One with swirls and intricate figure eight designs all over it.

It dropped back into the crowd, disappearing.

'It's watching us'

The mask resurfaced, this time much closer.

It was approaching them.

The crowd was beginning to thin as the Jinchuriki were unknowingly releasing their killing intent.

The figure was closer now, only a few feet away.

Bee gripped his swords, ready to spring forward into action.

Both the Nibi and the Hachibi came to the same conclusion almost simultaneously. This was because they only knew one being that outclassed them with this much Chakra.

The crowd was gone, leaving an empty street with three individuals standing in it.

Two Kumo Jonin, armed and ready to fight.

One Konoha ninja, wearing only a mask with his hands lazily at his side.

"Kyuubi"

"Nibi… Hachibi..." the masked figure tilted its head sideways, empty sockets staring at them. The monster pointed at them, finger drifting between them lazily "what are you doing here?"

Yugito was past the point of intimidation. All of the movements, the actions, the hiding in the crowd and even the mask itself told her everything she needed to know about the demon before her.

He was not sane. Not even in the slightest.

This was the kind of ninja that if you met them on the battlefield, you were better off killing yourself.

"Sensei"

Yugito lost it when the black hair and red eyes of an Uchiha showed up. The slender yet elegant Ninja landed alongside the Kyuubi jinchuriki, staring down the two Kumo jonin.

"Sensei perhaps we should leave… we are causing a scene"

It was only then that Yugito began to notice the Sandaime Hokage, the multitude of Anbu and Tatsu. They had all appeared recently but Yugito didn't notice due to the danger in front of her.

"Ara" the mask wearing monster groaned, "just as the day was getting interesting"

That was when he _moved_.

Yugito swiped at him, her claws only swiped the air however.

Dear Kami he was fast.

He had suddenly closed the distance. Going from a good ten meters to right in their face.

He had merely vanished again, reappearing beside his Uchiha student.

"You are right… we are causing a scene" the two vanished.

Yugito and Bee relaxed as the Hokage and the Anbu all vanished, leaving them alone with a confused Tatsu.

"What on earth was that about?" the elder man grumbled, leaping down from one of the buildings to talk to his 'guards'.

"That…" Bee turned to look at the space where the masked creature had been standing, "that was the Kyuubi jinchuriki"

* * *

Well there ya go.

Cloud are getting involved, and we will be seeing more of Setsuna in the future. :P

Naruto is currently a power house... but not for long.

More on the way after my exams alright?

Love all of y'all.

See ya around!

(o3o)


	5. Drunk

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the late update.

Didn't really feel the need to update this story until I got a very nice message from one of you. Kinda convinced me to keep going with the idea.

So here it is. New chapter.

AN is gonna be at the end.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Without a doubt, tension didn't seem like the best possible word to describe the atmosphere in the council room. Even the ANBU seemed to be affected by the metaphorical bomb that the head of the Uchiha clan had just dropped.

"Why exactly is it Hokage-sama, that none of the clans have been informed of the parentage and _survival_ of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?"

'Oh shit' Hiruzen groaned internally, watching how twenty two pairs of eyes slowly shifted in his direction. Hiruzen could have sworn that the veins on the side of Hiashi's head pulsed.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at Fugaku, attempting to convey how much hatred he felt for the man at the current moment.

'Naruto is going to get it later' the aged man promised himself, 'I knew he wouldn't be able to keep a secret'

"Excuse me?" Tsume Inuzuka stood up, arms crossed over her sizeable bust as eyes of fire roasted the Sandaime, "their kid didn't kick the bucket?"

Hiruzen palmed his face, knowing he'd be having to answer a few questions.

"His name is Naruto. He is their only child. Minato and Kushina wanted him to lead a normal life..." Hiruzen had the full attention of the council as soon as he started speaking, Fugaku had also moved back to his place for the Uchiha clan head in order to listen to their Kage.

"...but due to _complications_ that option became impossible"

"Complications?" Shikaku raised a brow as he lazily sat back, "you've kept this a secret for 16 years Hiruzen. Don't try to keep the veil over our eyes"

"When Minato sealed the Kyuubi into his child… he also sealed something far more dangerous"

Now this set the council into a series of mumbling and whispering. Something more dangerous than the Nine Tailed fox? Absurd!

Hiruzen pulled his pipe out from a personal storage seal, opting to indulge his need to smoke.

"At the age of two, three weeks before I was to announce his son's survival to only the council, we found that young Naruto was capable of deciphering and removing seals. He had removed a locating seal placed on him by an Anbu with just mud and a coloring pencil"

Shikaku had a look of wonder in his eyes.

"Minato's sealing knowledge" the Nara had pieced it together instantly.

"Indeed. The boy has been gifted with all of his father's understanding of seals. The vast amount of knowledge assimilated by the boy was organised and implemented by the Kyuubi"

"The fox is messing with the child's head!?" Chouza exclaimed in disbelief.

"No. The fuzz ball was the one who saved me" a voice snorted, an invisible outline suddenly peeling it self from the wall.

A section of shadows just hit the floor before melding into a masked Shinobi.

"Meet Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Hatake… you all know him as the Specialist Anbu operative; Guardian"

"Pleasure to meet you all" the mask's eyes quirked up into a smile.

'Under our noses the entire time' some of the clan heads began to realise.

Every few years, Hiruzen had a specialist sent by to the different clan compounds in order to install seal based security. The Guardian operative was always the one who was sent.

"Take off the mask Naruto" Hiruzen said calmly, everyone else in the room had their eyes glued onto Naruto and the hidden visage under the mask.

"Hai" Naruto reached up and placed a palm on the mask. In the next second, the ornate creation had disappeared.

It was the blond hair, blue eyes and defined features that gave it away instantly.

For some of the council, it almost hurt to see the likeness of their dead friends. It was painful to see _him_ again.

Most had to then remind themselves that this wasn't the father. This was Naruto.

"Oi" Naruto's face went comically blank, "I'm not some kind of genjutsu… I'm real"

"Thank you Naruto" Hiruzen nodded towards the blond, who disappeared again, his mask appearing back into place before he melded into nothingness. He hadn't even vanished into the shadows, just ceased to exist on the spot.

"Is there anything else that the council wishes to discuss?" Hiruzen leveled every member and family head with an even stare.

The council room exploded into conversation.

* * *

"So sensei" Itachi and Naruto sat against a tree, both of them were on different sides of the stump, "how was it?"

"Problematic" Naruto admitted after some silence, "the Uchiha seem the most disturbed over my heritage"

"And for every reason" Itachi snorted back at the blond, "your father and mother were very close with our clan"

Naruto didn't answer and chose to remain silent.

"Kakashi" both of the boys nodded as the silver haired Jonin appeared, taking a seat between the two to rest against another side of the tree.

"Hmm" the Hatake mumbled, pulling out his favourite book and began to read.

"Chunin exams are in two months" Shisui murmured when he came into existence against the final spot of the tree.

The statement was focused at Kakashi.

"I'm doing my best" the copycat ninja muttered.

Silence once again dominated the section of the forest. The sound of wind brushing against the tree's, and birds in the air were the only things that permeated the peace.

Ever since the 'small' interaction with the Kumo Jinchuriki, this small group had formed. Itachi was here due to his tutelage and small friendship being shared between himself and his sensei. Naruto tolerated Itachi because he was Naruto's 'best student ever'. Shisui drifted over to the group due to his friendship with Itachi and respect for the blonde haired psychopath.

Kakashi had joined the group to keep an eye on his brother as well as keep up with his own training.

And so these four would meet at this tree everyday, and eventually one of them would choose what to do.

"You know, we can go drinking in the village now?" Shisui grinned, "Your excuse is void now Naruto. Everyone knows of your heritage now, so you don't have a reason to hide out anymore"

Itachi noticed how the blond stiffened. His mask hid the facial twitch, but the rest of his body had some kind of reaction.

Naruto didn't like to leave his home or the training ground, exclusively having food delivered to his place. So of course this was the reason he reacted to the idea of one, getting drunk, and two, leaving one of his 'safe' area's.

"That sounds like a great idea"

Itachi turned to Kakashi, the one who agreed with Shisui.

"Eh" Naruto made a gagging noise, "I don't really think my student wants to head out".

Naruto was relying on Itachi to keep him away from the village.

"I think that would be a great idea Sensei. I think we both need a chance to unwind"

Naruto's head whipped towards his student, eyes burning with hatred, the word 'traitor' practically bleeding into the air.

"It's settled then"

"Fuck"

Tonight was going to be interesting.

* * *

Ai, the current Raikage of the village hidden in the clouds was not happy. Both of the Jinchuriki of Kumo stood before him, each of them having brought bad news.

Konoha was stronger than them.

Their tailed beast was not only obviously much more powerful than their own, but the host was downright deadly.

His speed matched that of the leaf's yellow bastard, as Ai calls him.

"According to my contacts" the Kumo spy master was standing in the corner of the room, his face covered in bandages and a pair of red tinted goggles.

"The Kyuubi Jinchuriki might posses the Hiraishin no Jutsu. He's also just begun to emerge from the leaf's shadows" the spymaster was contemplating everything he had been told. There were so many variables and options to take into consideration, but he informed the Raikage "I'll have more information on him once it becomes _available_ ".

And then he vanished.

Ai stood there, contemplating all the choices that Kumo could make here.

For each of the shinobi wars, Konoha had stood tall and powerful. The Sharingan and Byakugan being the most dominant aspect for the leaf's victory.

Now the Kyuubi has reared its head. This made the coming issues that Kumo had to deal with much more difficult. Ai was no fool, nor was he someone to believe in prophecies. But even he could read the signs.

War was inevitable.

Every village leader knew this. There were tensions; strings that connected every village which were being pulled on.

It had come to the point that no one cared who pulled upon the strings, because everyone wanted to fight. It was a necessity for the world that all Shinobi lived in.

And Konoha had a leg up for the coming war.

They had power.

"Wait on my command" was all Ai said, and then the three individuals left the room.

They had to wait before they could act.

They had to be ready for war.

* * *

"No" Itachi shook his head as his teacher once again tried to step out of the group.

The sun was beginning to set and the four of them were heading off to the bar that Shisui had selected.

It was a nice place, owned by a small Shinobi family. More importantly there were discounts for Jonin, meaning Kakashi had voted for it immediately out of all the choices Shisui had presented.

Naruto had tried three different techniques already.

A clone had been dispelled and the blond was returned to the group.

Shisui had stopped him from helping an old lady return her groceries.

And there was no way any of them believed that Naruto was actually sick. So instead of letting him get away they had to group up around their indignant man child of a friend.

People were beginning to notice the blond.

He was village wide famous. Information managed to leak out from the clan heads. People had ears and they used them very well. Shinobi use their ears better.

So it wasn't a surprise when Itachi and Kakashi saw all the reactions from both males and females, each of them trying to get a better look at the slightly shorter blond hidden in the group's formation.

Kakashi spotted a blush in the crowd and grinned.

This would prove to be interesting.

"Finally" Shisui smiled, finally spotting the bar out in the distance, "alright, first round is on me"

They all filed through the bar door and Kakashi was glad to leave the inquisitive people behind.

...until they also followed them through the door.

'Oh crap' Itachi thought, seeing each of the people walk in, their eyes fixed on Naruto who was now sitting at a bar stool.

Itachi and Kakashi shared a look as Shisui and Naruto received their first Sake cups.

Kakashi just sighed and walked to the stool on Naruto's right. Itachi took the seat on Shisui's left. Both of them ordered a cup of Sake.

"Are you... Naruto Namikaze?" a timid voice came from behind the four.

'Maybe going out wasn't such a good idea' Kakashi moaned internally, turning around to see the inquisitive eyes of about twelve Shinobi and eight civilians… with more on the way.

The night was young.

"Yeah I am, what about it?"

Naruto had turned around, eyebrow raised. Itachi could detect the faintest tinge of red on his cheeks.

"Shisui" Itachi said, as Naruto had turned around fully on his stool to begin talking with the group of people here to see him, "how well does Naruto-sensei handle his alcohol?"

Shisui blinked.

"I thought you were the one who took him out to drink before?"

"I haven't taken him out…" Itachi trailed off, coming to a very concerning understanding, "this is his first time drinking"

Both of the Uchiha turned to Naruto, watching in dismay as friendly villagers and interested Shinobi offered to buy him drinks, or actually handed him their alcohol.

Naruto was in fact taking these drinks and downing them quickly.

"Ah crap" Shisui murmured, deciding to turn around and focus on his drink rather than the seals master.

There was no way this could get out of hand…

Right?

* * *

"WOOO!" Naruto swung back, slamming the shot glass on the table, and the crowd around him cheered.

"61!" Naruto gleamed, his face completely flushed from the alcohol. That was the 61st shot glass that the blond had downed in his drinking competition with his precious student. Everyone was gone. Not as in left the building gone, but completely shit faced drunk.

Itachi sat across the table from him with his head in his hands. The whole room was spinning for the Uchiha heir.

Shisui was making out with a perky blond Yamanaka ninja.

Kakashi had been dragged off to the bathrooms with a very frisky Anko. It appeared that the snake mistress wanted her way with him.

Everyone was partying and moving around. Music had started playing earlier so some people were dancing, others were just making their way through the crowded space. Some of it had even spilled out onto the street, with more and more being absorbed into the chaos.

"I'M KING OF THE WORLD!" Naruto called out, both arms raised in the air for his victory over his student. The crowd hollered loudly in their agreement. Naruto fell back into a series of arms and was carried atop the crowd.

This would be recorded as the first instance of crowd surfing known to Konoha.

Naruto was in a semi-swirled world of confusion, but he was loving every second of it.

Perhaps this was exactly why Naruto failed to see the end of the wave.

The blond was thrown to the floor, landing in a slump.

"Hey"

Naruto barely heard the voice, but he did manage to see the red cheek marks and the brown hair.

"Need a hand?" she gave him a feral grin and the offered appendage. Naruto took it without hesitating, and Hana Inuzuka pulled him to his feet.

The party still buzzed around them, but they had found a nice quiet area from where Naruto had been thrown.

"Any reason why the king of the world was slumped on the floor?"

Hana planned to put him at a disadvantage with that question. She wanted him to splutter or act sheepish.

"You're really pretty" Naruto smiled with a calm expression, his eyes twinkling slightly.

She did not expect him to make her blush and blink in confusion.

"Red cheeks" he murmured, before he took a few steps forward and began to absently draw a thumb across Hana's tattoos.

"Umm…" Hana didn't know what to do. As weird and as strange as it may sound, the son of the Yondaime Hokage was fingering her face.

"Oooooh" Naruto's attention shifted to the dog at Hana's side, and the hands left her face to caress the dog.

The ninken lavished in Naruto's petting, while its owner was still flustered and confused.

"Thanks?" Hana mumbled as Naruto swayed to his feet.

Shouting and loud voices drew their attention to the door.

People were fighting outside.

Hana was about to go and investigate until she realised it wasn't just a fight between random shinobi or civilians.

The Uchiha police force were here.

"Oh crap" Naruto murmured as you could see through the open door that the officers were arresting people.

It appears that the party and drinking had gone to far.

"We gotta go" Hana murmured, dragging Naruto to the bar.

"Why are you helping me?" the blond slurred as Hana led him to a back room. She didn't respond, only looking for the backdoor in the alcohol storage room.

The bartender had moved out from behind the counter and had gone outside in order to avoid any more chaos and destruction.

Hana knew the Uchiha would be pissed once they found Itachi and Shisui here. It wasn't every day that the clan heir, the most prodigious and important Uchiha was found in a drunken stupor with an equally famous Uchiha shinobi, Shisui the teleporter.

Naruto suddenly collapsed, the alcohol finally getting to him.

"Shit" Hana grunted, catching the taller blond and holding him with both hands, "come on Naruto, stay standing"

"Mkay" Naruto murmured, his attention completely focused on the girl trying to help him escape and the fact that his world was spinning.

Hana stopped listening to the blond mumble and instead decided to focus on getting the drunken idiot out of here.

"Yon" Hana pointed at the door and her Ninken, one of the Haimaru triplets, "get the door"

The dog barked and then leapt at the door, crashing into it with a chakra infused body slam. The trio made their way through the destroyed door, only to duck left into a small alcove of the alley way when Hana sensed shinobi.

"He's so cute" Naruto whispered, cheeks tinted pink with a smile on his face as he rubbed the dog on the head.

"Quiet" Hana hissed, holding him back against the alcove as the Uchiha turned around and left. She would wait until she was sure they were gone.

"You should -* _hik_ *- probably leave" Naruto smiled, "I'm not a good person to…" Naruto stumbled for a word, "be around"

"The Uchiha's are looking for their own. Their not concerned with a blond moron"

"Eh" Naruto grumbled as Hana slung his arm over him, helping him walk, "suit yourself"

After another minute the Inuzuka finally helped Naruto out, purposely walking alongside the sidewalk. She wouldn't stand a chance trying to hide the drunk Namikaze from any police, but she prefered to stick to the more shadowy part of the lit pathway.

After almost 10 minutes of walking, Naruto decided to drop the same question he asked her before.

"Why are you helping me?"

And just like before, Hana did not answer.

"Well then where-" Naruto burped but quickly recovered, "-where are you taking me?"

"My place" Hana grumbled.

"Oh I see" Naruto's face slid into a goofy smile, "planning to _ravish_ me?" he joked, the loopy grin still plastered across his face.

"Yes. Yes I am" Hana responded simply, giving him a look out of the corner of her eye, "anything else you want to know?"

Naruto blinked.

His mouth dropped open slightly.

"I'm dreaming" he murmured, as Hana helped him move to the entrance of the Inuzuka compound.

"I'm dreaming" he murmured again, barely remembering being helped up the stairs to her room.

'I'm dreaming' he thought, as Hana tossed him to her bed and began to strip.

She straddled him, completely naked.

'A solid c-cup' he noted as she said something to him.

Hana smirked at his gaze, as well as the red beginning to tint his cheeks.

"Doesn't this classify as rape?" Naruto asked bluntly, his head swirling from both the alcohol and the fact that the Inuzuka heiress was currently straddling him.

Naked.

The naked part was important.

"Only if you say no" she smiled, grinding slightly on him, "which you haven't"

"I'm a virgin" Naruto protested with a slight slur, "might ruin your fun"

"It'll be fun breaking you in" Hana's teeth glinted in the light of her room as she smiled slyly down at him, "unless you really want to back out now?"

Naruto paused his train of thought.

"No not really" he whispered, and Hana leaned down to kiss him.

His clothes were off his body in the next twenty seconds. Both of them were very sweaty in the next half an hour, and Naruto was sporting some very red claw marks down his tattooed back.

* * *

The sun just had to be the thing that woke him up.

Practically snarling, Naruto tried to rise from his bed and reach for a cup of clone prepared coffee… only to realise some very important things.

One, he wasn't in his room.

Two, he had a very powerful headache.

And three, an arm which was certainly not his was draped across his chest. Naruto slowly turned his head to the right, where a very NAKED, and sleeping Hana lay next to him on her side.

"Go back to bed" she mumbled, the arm on his chest trying to lightly push him back to the bed.

Naruto felt his heart rate go through the roof.

He had…

They had…

'Oh sweet Kami' Naruto's eyes showed panic.

Hana's eyes slowly slid open when the boy occupying her bed didn't take her hint. She studied his face for a moment, realising he was seriously conflicted about something.

"Whats wrong?"

"We fucked" he stated.

"Yes" she mumbled, "I'd think that was obvious"

Obviously that answer didn't help him out, because his eyes widened significantly.

He was sitting up fully now, legs crossed and his breathing was erratic. Hana raised an eyebrow, but before she opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong she finally understood what was wrong.

He was panicking.

A soft smile covered her face and she slowly sat up as well, and with some expert maneuvering, she managed to slide into his lap.

"It's alright" she whispered to him, both of their chests pressed together, "it's alright" she began to pet his hair and rub his back.

Slowly he began to calm down.

Hana leant her head against the chest of her one night stand, the smile still on her face as the hand traveled down from his hair and to his chest.

"I'm not supposed to…" he started, his arms instinctively coming up around her, holding her slightly smaller frame to his, "I'm not supposed to be with people" he whispered.

"Oh?" she frowned, "then why did you let last night happen?" she was curious, but she also felt like teasing him.

"Because I felt… selfish" he was mumbling now.

"Please" Hana smiled up at him, "you're welcome to feel _selfish_ with me any time you want"

Naruto just gaped at her coy smile.

"Now" she commanded, slapping his chest lightly, "do you want to take a shower?"

Naruto paused.

He was missing something here.

"Do I smell that bad?" he looked at her confused.

Hana laughed to herself, closing her eyes briefly as she giggled, before they snapped open again, the same intense look Naruto remembered from last night coming across her face.

"No. I just wanted to try having sex in the shower"

"Oh"

"So?"

"..yes please"

* * *

Hana decided to bed him. And as much as Naruto feels the need to be seperated from society because of his connection with the Kyuubi, and the fact that it ruined the lives of many people in the village, he just can't help nature.

So yeah, they banged.

This isn't even the tip of the ice-berg kiddies if you're worried about his relationships with people. I'm inclined to ignore the harem idea because I despise it for serious stories. And while this tale has an undertone of comedy (that I attempt to add in no matter how poor the attempt is) I don't want it to be smutty.

...Unless all you perverts enjoy smut then I guess I can take a crash course on writing it.

Message me, review, hell, ask for my number. Just communicate what ya want me to do with the story.

As much as I wish to weave my web, you are the ones I ultimately plan to trap in said web. So it makes more sense if I asked you guys what would be best to lure you in.

Well, have a good dall all!

Ta ta!

-Freedom


	6. I am Shinobi

I've ignited some new kind of passion to write.

This story in particular stands out among my others (yes, my hidden ones that haven't even been posted yet :^))

so here it is, a new chapter, very recently.

Don't expect this kind of treatment often... I was just uniquely inspired to write this one.

* * *

Setsuna winced as the grounds exploded.

Two yelps of pain echoed across the training field, followed by a quick and decisive smack to the back of Itachi's head.

"What have I told you about outer matrices?" Naruto fumed, rubbing his head from the pain of the explosion.

"That it is unwise to break them or edit them while channeling chakra into any of the inner matrix?"

Naruto gestured exasperatedly towards the destroyed space, "that!" he gestured to the charred ground and the burning spots of fire which dotted the area, "is why it is unwise"

The no longer masked blond spun on his heel, pointing up towards the tree that Setsuna was resting in, supposedly reading.

"And you! She-devil!"

Her eye twitched, "excuse me?"

"You heard me" Naruto growled, "get down here and start practicing your brush strokes. You're months behind my best student ever but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you fall further behind"

Setsuna decided not to respond, instant jumping down to the space in front of the blonde, a forced smile on her face.

"Hai sensei"

"Now why can't you be like that Itachi?" Naruto asked the elder brother, who had already summoned a new clone and was preparing the space again for another breaking test.

Both the clone and the original rolled their eyes in exasperation.

Setsuna huffed as well, before she sunk to the floor and made a clear space to work with the sealing paper.

Naruto's new favourite training space had changed from the top of civilian buildings to the more peaceful and 'educational' friendly training grounds.

This new take on sealing spaces had nothing to do with the Hokage getting a steadily increasing number of complaints about explosions within the village and flying ninja.

Not at all.

"You're more distracted than usual" Itachi stated solemnly. He was leaning against a tree as his clone was attempting to break apart the seal that Naruto designed.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm always 110% focused" the blond grinned at his student, idly ignoring the sense of fear in the back of his mind that the Uchiha might possibly know something.

"Mhm" Itachi nodded, "Would Hana agree with that?"

Itachi noticed out of the corner of his eye that Naruto's face went through a series of different colours, emotions and reactions.

His cheeks burned bright red for a few moments, then his eyes closed and his face got pale. He had gone from happy to very sad, then to calm, then to pensive.

'Sensei never makes things easy' Itachi reminded himself.

"I suppose she would" Naruto hummed, his eyes turning up to look at the sky.

"Who's Hana?"

Both the Uchiha and Naruto turned to look at Setsuna. She had an unreadable expression across her face… and her eyes were fixed on the blond.

"Oh she's-"

"-just a friend of ours" Itachi finished calmly.

Naruto and the Uchiha heir shared a look.

'Thank me later' was the glare that Itachi gave him.

"Hm" Setsuna turned back to her seal work, and Naruto turned back to his cloud gazing, the empty look still on his face.

Only Itachi noticed the red tinge on his sister's ears.

* * *

"I know you're there" Naruto mumbled, and Hana stepped out from the tree's.

He had dismissed his two Uchiha students almost thirty minutes ago… exactly the time that Hana got off from her work.

What had started out as a one time thing became a little more than what both of them expected.

Hana had thought she was just bagging a pretty face, hot body and rich smartass.

Turns out that when you spend time with people, your understanding of them changes.

Strange, huh?

And now the physical affection that they shared for each other had morphed into something else. Apart from passionate nights spent at his lab or in her room, the two spent time together since their first coupling. A mutual interest sparked something that might easily be mistaken for a relationship, but was actually more along the lines of care.

They cared for each other.

But it was only baby steps right now. Both of them didn't really know where to take it. Hana was wild and free, and she would always spend her time with other guys…. But now she just didn't feel like it.

She had someone that filled every possible expectation… and hole (o3o)… that she could ask for.

He wasn't perfect.

Kami no.

But he had the qualities of someone she could fall for.

The culmination of a person that didn't attribute anything to family, but rather his own constitution, of what he had learned in his life, no matter how short it currently was.

"Hey" she smiled, sauntering up to him in the grass, before dramatically slumping to the ground and placing her head in his lap.

Naruto's hands crawled up sides and began to pet her hair, scratching here and there.

Hana hummed in pleasure.

"What's the matter whiskers?" Hana smirked up at him, her eyes still closed. She knew he was thinking about something, and more then likely he wouldn't be able to share it…. Again.

Being the son of a previous Hokage meant he was involved with some pretty heavy secrets.

"I don't know" Naruto said honestly, and Hana opened her eyes to look up at him, "I've just been feeling strange all day"

"What's causing it?" she sat up to look at him, his eyes still pointed up in the air.

The two blue oceans drifted down to her, his gaze locking with her own, and a calm aura was exuded from him.

"You" he smiled slightly, "I've just been thinking about you all day"

Hana processed this.

Then she felt her cheeks burning slightly.

Instead of turning away or hiding as others most likely would, she socked him on the arm.

"Ow!"

"That's what you get for being sappy" she mumbled, before leaning forward and giving him a kiss.

"Then what was that for?" he asked when they broke apart.

"For being you" she smiled.

A silence spread between the two of them, until eventually they both spoke at the same time.

"Do you want to get dinner?" he said.

"I have a mission tomorrow" she admitted.

They both just blinked at one another.

"Dinner sounds great" Hana smiled, her hand coming forward and holding his. She knew he was emotionally weak.

Hana Inuzuka had been informed of the Kyuubi no Kitsune by her mother the day after her hook up with the blond. While she didn't have the best of initial responses, her mother calmly explained to her the exact method of the sealing.

Eventually Hana had tracked down Kakashi, finding a way to learn more about the blond she had banged.

As more and more half secrets and details flew her way, the Inuzuka heir understood one very simple principle about Naruto.

He was emotionally stunted.

Not in general, but in the sense of care and affection. She'd seen the exact same symptoms in wolves and younger pups that she cared for. After harsh experiences, some of them traumatic, these pups or the wolves would turn away from contact with other wolves, and only care about their immediate family.

Similarly, Naruto had been worried only about his immediate family and the ones he holds dear to him. But now she had someone found a way in.

And Hana was going to make damn sure that she busted down his enclosed space.

So that was why she smiled so brightly when he offered a night out for the two of them, and not just rutting in his or her bed.

"Do you have anything specific in mind?" Hana stuffed away her thoughts and returned to his careful gaze.

"Not… not really" he mumbled, squeezing her hand slightly.

"Well I know just the place" Hana still held her angelic smile, "and I expect you to meet me there at 7. Old Man Yashu's"

Hana stood from the grass, "don't be late" she almost growled, and left him with a deep kiss before walking away.

Naruto stood from the grass as well.

That didn't go so bad, did it?

Then the chakra held within his gut blurted through his body, cutting through his stomach and sending lances of fiery pain to pulse in his veins.

The Namikaze heir doubled over in pain, a silent scream on his face an instant before he teleported back to his lab.

In the next 10 minutes he would descend into the lower floor, and he would not come out for four more hours.

At 6.30pm Naruto was dressed smart and made his way out of his small slice of heaven.

He had a date to attend after all.

* * *

The Following day

* * *

"Have you been to the lower floor yet Jiraiya?" the Sandaime spoke calmly as he looked over his student and the village's spy master.

Jiraiya of the Sannin had arrived earlier in his office to discuss an ever increasing problem.

"Surprisingly enough, no" Jiraiya frowned from his seat in front of the Hokage's desk. He had been hiding in the room earlier when Hana Inuzuka and her Chunin team mates had entered in order to retrieve their escort for a mission outside the village.

A mission to the land of waves.

The Inuzuka heir in question was someone who had recently become very important in maintaining the strength of the village, due to her relation with the Jinchuriki.

Hiruzen felt like it was some kind of power play, but the reports from the Anbu's tracking Naruto were the only thing he had to go off of. They didn't allow him to make his own conclusions. Fact could never find a way to properly account for emotion outside of the chemical explanation. For all intents and purposes, Hiruzen wished he could assume that Hana had Naruto's best interests in mind.

But the Sandaime Hokage was a man who hoped for the best… yet prepared for the worst. He had saved many lives with this mind set.

So naturally he had made sure that a contingent of Anbu watched over Naruto.

Kakashi used to be apart of this contingent when Naruto was in his younger days, up until the moment that the Hatake adopted him.

"Only a handful of the village know about the existence of his true laboratory"

"There's clues in his workspace" Jiraiya nodded. Files and documents listed other papers and tests, referring to other experiments that Naruto had completed, but the references never went into detail, only project title.

Each of these project titles could not be found in the main library or the hidden library in Naruto's workspace.

Therefore there was another location.

Some place that Naruto didn't even trust Jiraiya with,

In fact, as Hiruzen had reasoned earlier, if it had not been for Danzo, no one would have known about it.

"Human experimentation" Hiruzen's eyes glazed over and Jiraiya stiffened. Both of their thoughts were focused around Orochimaru, "that's a topic the village takes very… negatively"

"That's putting it lightly" Jiraiya scoffed, thinking of the hundreds of families, if not thousands, that wanted Orochimaru's head on a platter.

"So you can see as to why I'm hesitant about Naruto's lower floor"

Jiraiya almost choked on his breath, "he's experimenting on other HUMANS?!"

Hiruzen shook his head.

"No Jiraiya… it's far worse than that"

"What?"

"He's working on himself"

Jiraiya couldn't speak.

Words refused to form.

"This is how little he has begun to view his life, as well as his importance towards the village as a Shinobi. Naruto is probably the most unstable Ninja at this current point. The chakra, his knowledge, his seclusion from others…" Hiruzen palmed his face, "I fear that the smallest of things will set him off"

"That's why you're more concerned about the Inuzuka?" the Sannin gave his teacher an arched brow to show his confusion.

"Only because she found a way into his little circle" the old Sarutobi leant back in his chair.

"I'm not sure how to proceed from here…"

"Don't look at me old man"

"No. Not in concern to just Naruto, but to the village as well" Hiruzen reached for the pipe in his desk, slowly opening the drawer to retrieve it.

"War is approaching Jiraiya, and try as we might, peace does not seem very likely"

"There will be coming casualties" Jiraiya nodded, his spy network relaying the same information as the other villages most likely. That everyone was stressed, everyone was at each others necks. Konoha was going to be dragged into the next war kicking and screaming.

"Perhaps it would be best to keep the Inuzuka in a more… protected region?"

Before any of them could answer however, an Anbu member appeared in a crouch before the desk.

"Hokage-sama! It's the Chunin team…." he took a deep breath, "they've…" he couldn't say it.

He couldn't speak the words.

They had been in the office only four or so hours earlier.

"What happened?" Hiruzen demanded.

The Anbu shook his head.

He was an Inuzuka clan member.

So he was taking most of this as a shock.

"You'd better come see sir… and you'd better be quick"

A howl of pain and strife cut across the village sky.

Hana's team had returned.

* * *

The following day

* * *

For some reason...

The world can't give nice things to anyone without a sense of loss or deception to come with it.

Itachi had a fun night out, so did Shisui… but they were both reprimanded by the Uchiha clan elders for making a silly example of themselves.

For acting 'beneath their stature' as Shisui often mocked them.

Occasionally they would be allowed to snap out of their order demanding lives, and then one day they'd be given a chance to just let loose. But it always came with a cost.

Everyone else's problems seemed superficial at this point.

Naruto's nice thing was meeting Hana Inuzuka, and establishing a connection stronger than friends with her. They were confused most of the time in the short span which they spent together, yet they would both argue that it was a happy confusion.

But from the rooftop, soaked in rain, Naruto could feel nothing but pain as he thought about her.

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

C-ranked.

A trip to the land of waves, to escort some bridge builder, and then return home.

But not return in a body bag.

Naruto watched the Inuzuka clan, who had shown up en mass to mourn the loss of their heir. Tsume's fists were clenched in fury, her eyes stinging with tears as her daughter was lowered into her grave.

Why?

Naruto's hands were beginning to shake.

Why did the world have to be like this?

Of course it had to be pouring with rain as well. The world never did anything in halves… it was always an extreme.

…

They had smiled and chatted at dinner, 18 hours before her death. If he had known it was the last time he was going to see her, the last time he would have a chance to say anything to her, his thoughts would have changed.

"I'm cursed" Naruto mumbled.

Somehow it was his fault.

He knew it.

As the host of the Kyuubi, misfortune was meant to befall him. For befriending the beast that decimated his home, ending countless lives, it was now his curse.

Hana should have never gotten involved with him.

Maybe if he had given her one of his Kunai, he could have been there?

Or if he had gone with her as a support ninja?

But what if he-

Naruto collapsed on the rooftop, his knees colliding with the ground as tears began to cascade from his eyes.

It had been so very brief.

A strange relationship that withstood so many different opinions and understandings to the point that those involved in it didn't even know where they stood with the other.

It was a strong hand that grabbed him, and hauled him to his feet,

Itachi Uchiha stood there, a calm and sorrow filled gaze burrowing into the Namikaze's empty sight.

Naruto could no longer see the light.

"It's alright" Itachi whispered, pulling the slightly shorter blond into a hug, being careful to make sure he wasn't too firm with his grip.

"It's alright" Itachi comforted him, holding him atop a random rooftop, knowing he felt hurt.

His mind brought him back to when he had left with his Mother and Kakashi from the training ground after 'rescuing' Setsuna.

'He has a big heart than,' he remembered the remark from his mother, and his sisters equally fast response, 'that means he'll feel a lot of loss'

"What do I do?" Naruto gasped out, fresh tears washing down his face. He had kept the scream in his system, the roar of fury which he couldn't let out.

He wasn't allowed to feel this much pain for someone whom he was just beginning to know properly.

'It was the Inuzuka who had the right to feel like this' Naruto argued with himself. He had no right to feel worse than they did. He had no right to pity himself and how he was feeling.

Yet he did it anyone because his heart and mind demanded it of him.

Kiba had even gone missing a few hours after the announcement of Hana's death. Naruto didn't blame the poor boy.

"Survive" Itachi said simply, his eyes watching as the family members began to leave the funeral area one by one.

Tsume was the only one who remained at the gravestone, her stance rigid and firm.

Itachi looked away as Naruto began to shake.

"Training ground three" Itachi said simply, and they ported away.

* * *

A second later, Setsuna was startled out of her tree by the arrival of two familiar chakra.

Naruto and Itachi stood there in the middle of the field, completely soaked in the rain which blanketed Konoha.

'They must have come from the funeral' Setsuna realised, about to step off the tree and greet them when an aura of Chakra stopped her.

And just like that, Naruto let out a howl of pain himself, a roar to the heavens at his feelings of not only Hana, but of the village, the Kyuubi, the deaths of those which stained his hands, the responsibilities and the promises of which he had failed to uphold.

A chakra empowered fist, with an orange-red aura smashed into the ground, causing large cracks to snake through the earth in different directions.

Naruto was still crying and trembling, but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Oi" Setsuna leapt down from the tree, approaching her teacher with a confused look, "what's wrong?"

Naruto didn't turn to her but Itachi did. He was gently rubbing the blonde's back, trying his best to be a supportive friend in his moment of need.

"Naruto will be staying at our clan compound for a few weeks Setsuna" Itachi stated firmly, ignoring how Naruto stiffened.

The Uchiha heir did not care, His friend needed to be around people that care for him and can help him.

While the Uchiha held a reputation for being the least caring individuals in the village, Itachi knew that a large majority of his clan were friendly and his family definitely fell into the category… once you nipped around the rough edges of course.

"We should get Naruto inside" Setsuna remarked, looking at both their figures up and down, "you both need to get into something dry and warm"

Itachi just nodded.

"Inform mother of the arrangements Setsuna… Naruto and I will be on our way momentarily"

The young girl nodded at her older brother, stealing a quick glance at the sullen shinobi he was holding before she vanished off into the woods.

Naruto would spend the next few weeks at the Uchiha residence, his room would be down the hall from Itachi's.

* * *

And that is the truth of the ninja world. A horrible truth that people lie, and people die, and not everything is going to turn out hunky dory. I'm sorry to hit you with this death so soon, but it is only because of the fact that I need to help build up the motivation for Naruto's departure.

What the village thinks is that he's becoming more unstable, and its no longer him, they couldn't be further from the truth.

Naruto is worried about himself, but only because he feels he will lash out and destroy the one place he knows, the one constant in his life aside from Kurama. The death of Hana just proves that those he tries to bring in face the risk of death every day, and he may just want to shut out all these feelings.

It was sudden.

But that was my plan.

Nothing in this story is going to guide you with baby steps, (except for a few of my explanations maybe), and that is how it is going to stay.

I hope you have a great new year, and I'm sorry if you felt Hana was going to be along for the rest of the trip.

-Freedom


End file.
